1977 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Coupe


Details

The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by William Lyons and William Walmsley. In 1934 Lyons formed SS Cars Limited to effectively take over the operation from Walmsley. The SS brand was quite successful, though they had a reputation for having ‘more show than go’. The Jaguar name first appeared as a model name on an SS 2½ Litre Sports Saloon introduced in 1936. For political reasons, Lyons changed the name of his company to Jaguar Cars in 1945.

Whilst the SS100 is indeed a fabulous car, it was the launch of the legendary Jaguar XK120 at the London Motor Show in 1948 that really put Jaguar on the map. The car caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production. The XK120 morphed into the XK140 and ultimately the XK150 and in total, just over 30,000 cars were built over 15 years of production.

In 1961 at the Geneva Motor Show Jaguar introduced the E-Type, which like the XK120 all those years ago, took the motoring world by storm. The body styling was simply gorgeous and technologically the E-Type was an engineering masterpiece and it set new standards in all areas.

Whilst automotive styling is somewhat subjective the E-Type is often ranked atop lists of ‘the most beautiful cars’ and in fact it has been described by Enzo Ferrari as ‘the most beautiful car ever made’. And it’s not just about the looks as the E-Type is often at the top of other lists such as ‘The best sports car ever built’ or ‘The most significant cars’. It is truly a motoring icon. As a testament to the success of the E-Type, production evolved through three series from 1961 until 1974 during which time circa 70,000 cars were built.

Whilst the Jaguar name is synonymous for sporting cars it is also recognised for building some of the world’s best luxury saloons. Jaguar was and still is uniquely positioned in the market in this regard.

Jaguar introduced the XJ series of cars in 1968. Incredibly, the original XJ saloons (XJ6 and XJ12) were built over 3 series spanning 24 years of production and c318,000 cars were built. 

At the London Motor Show in October 1973 Jaguar showed a two door, pillarless version of the XJ saloon. It was well received, but it took a further two years for the car to enter production. The car was expensive to build and in the later years it was sold against the XJ-S, which ultimately resulted in a relatively small production run. In total 8,372 XJ Coupes were built through until 1978, comprising 6,487 XJ6 4.2 Coupes and 1,885 XJ12 5.3 Coupes. Jaguar also built 2,084 Daimler based XJ coupes (1,677 Daimler Sovereign Coupes and 407 Daimler Double Six Coupes).

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a rare factory right hand drive Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Coupe. The Jaguar Heritage Certificate on file confirms this UK delivered, factory RHD example was manufactured on the 6th June 1977 with a date of despatch of the 28th June 1977. The original distributor is noted as Stevensons Motors, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. The original dealer is not noted. The car was finished in ‘British Racing Green’ with a ‘Moss Green’ interior.

The Heritage Certificate confirms that the chassis, engine, gearbox and body numbers are all ‘matching’.

The car’s early history is not known, however, it was imported into Australia prior to August 1989 as confirmed by the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities.

The car has a known history back to the 1990’s when it resided in Canberra. It was then acquired by a well-known classic car family, living near Bateman’s Bay on the NSW south coast. The car changed hands in April 1998, remaining in NSW with its next owner. The car then went to Victoria until it was acquired by its current owner in January 2017 and sent back to Sydney. It has been in storage until March this year.

The car is owned by a major collector who lives overseas, but spends significant time in Australia. He engaged a Sydney based Jaguar specialist to recommission the car. That work is now complete and given the current travel restrictions he has decided to offer the car for sale.

Today this lovely Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Coupe presents and drives well. 

The following work has just been undertaken as part of the recommissioning of the car. The carburetors were stripped and overhauled, the braking system was overhauled (which included the calipers all round, master cylinder and fitting new brake hoses), electrical works and other miscellaneous items. A set of new tyres has also been fitted to the car.  

The Jaguar British racing green paintwork is generally in good condition with minor blemishes and imperfections consistent with its age. There are some stone chips on the front of the car, small dents and marks on the driver’s door as well as a scratch on the left hand rear panel that has been touched up. That said, from say about a meter away the car presents exceptionally well as you will see from the photographs. The vinyl roof is in very good condition with no noticeable marks or damage. The external trim and glass are in good condition, though the chrome work does have some imperfections. Most noticeable are both bumpers which show some ageing. The wheels are in excellent condition all round.

A feature on the Jaguar XJ Coupes is the large doors, which are elongated front doors from the XJ saloons (the weld seams are clearly visible under the door cards!) which allow easy access to the rear seats. You open the door on this car to reveal a timelessly elegant interior that today presents beautifully. The XJ Coupe retains that Jaguar old world charm with beautiful timber trim and Smiths instruments on the dash, all of which are in very good condition. All the instruments appear to be working, though the tacho can be sticky. The leather upholstery has been retrimmed at some stage and it remains in excellent condition today. You slide in behind the steering wheel take in the ambience for a minute or two  . . . it really is ‘all class’. The seats are sumptuous, yet firm and provide ample support.

It’s out on the open road that this car really impresses. It’s hard to believe you are driving a 43 year old motor car. This Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Coupe just goes about it business in the most efficient, refined way. The car is firm on the road but the ride is incredibly smooth. The suspension feels good and the steering is exactly what you expect it to be, light but direct. The car has plenty of power on tap when you need it and the gear change up and down the box is smooth. The brakes pull the car up as you would expect and they will stop the car quickly if and when required. We did notice that the AC is not blowing cold air and the central locking system, whilst it responds to the remote control, does not appear to be working.

The Jaguar XJ Coupes have been somewhat of a sleeper in the classic car world. The secret is out about these cars and they are now becoming sought after by enthusiasts and collectors. Quite frankly these ‘graceful big cats’ offer a huge amount of car for the money. 

Today the odometer reads 52,491km.

 


Specification

  • -
  • Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Coupe
  • 1977
  • Coupe
  • Auto
  • 52,491 km
  • 4235cc

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