Can this Jaguar XJ6 be a Reliable Classic? Part 1 of 2 - History and Walkaround
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- čas přidán 19. 10. 2021
- Well sometimes the right car comes up for sale nearby and you just have to make a move. My first car, which has been long gone for over 20 years, was a 1980 Jaguar XJ6 Series III. It was rusty, unreliable, had a dumpy Chevy 305 engine conversion, and was in rough shape. Still, it taught me TONS of how to work on cars, and was a foundation to where I have come to.
And when it ran, it was so cool, and so nice looking! Since that time, I've always passively looked for a nice clean XJ6. When this one came up nearby, it looked nice in the pictures.
Is it as nice as I think? In this 2 part series, we'll start in part 1 talking about XJ history, and then walk around the car, checking out the body, a few engine shots, and interior.
Coming in a day, part 2 we will get it on the lift and really dig in!
Of course this will be a longer running series with this car in which we'll share owner experience, contrast it to my prior car over 20 years ago, and share maintenance and repair videos. I'm excited to share this one! - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Just bought a 1986 XJ6 Vanden Plas. It should arrive early next week. Sight unseen, but got it for a great price. Thanks for video.
It arrived in April and better than expected. There are things to be sorted but I will be into it for considerably less than its value. The guy who runs the shop where it’s being sorted told me he could have sold it six times to other customers who expressed interest.
Bought one too...XJ6 Sovereign in Sage Green...excited!
I was ten in 83! That shape is definitely a classic for jaguar! You found a winner with the lows miles on it. Love it
Great looking solid car. I own an ‘83 xj6
I had a series 1 way back in the mid 70's. It was one of the best Jags I have ever owned. When they went to the series 2 they lost the traditional dash of the series 1. When Pininferrina got there hands on the series 3 it did not impress me. And yet the series 3 was a very successful seller for Jaguar. However the very best Jaguar I have owned is the 1996 X300 XJ6 4ltr. It has also been the most dependable Jaguar I have ever owned.
BTW, whenever I drive one of these Jags, I usually get compliments about it or a thumbs up ! Certainly a cool classic design !
Excellent overview of the history of the XJ6 Series 3. I have an '87 model and it is a lot of fun. Had to spend some money to get the A/C working but overall...its been and continues to be a wonderful car to take for a drive on a 2 lane backroad. The XK engine is a remarkable engine as you said. I have subscribed to your channel and look for more stories on this truly classic Jaguar.
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for subscribing! Will definitely have more Jag videos coming
Great video, thanks for sharing about your XJ6 ! It's in great shape, looking forward to other videos. I've had an 86 XJ6 for 20 years, and now I have a 74 with the 4.2 I6 & dual carbs, an 84 XJ12, a 87 XJ6 and a couple of others for parts. All needing various amounts of work. The series I, II and III are great vehicles !
It's truly a beauty
I'm excited! I always wanted one of these and an XJS. Can't wait!
The small block Chevy first appeared in 1955 in 265 form. Unlikely story of Sir William and the Rover v8 in the xj. Sir William’s favorite design of the 1970’s was the XJ12C..
The engine bay story was for the XJ40. My understanding is there is some difference in engine bays of early and later xj40s. Looking forward to seeing this project.
Cool to know! That would also correspond with the AJ16 engine development and associated costs vs using the existing Rover v8, so makes more sense. Thanks for sharing!
The XJ40 engine bay was designed to only house the AJ6 motors because at the time of it's design (early 70s actually), it was rumored that parent company BL wanted to force the Rover 3.5 V8 (which is actually a Buick designed motor sold to Rover) onto the company in an effort to streamline costs. Jaguar wanted no parts of that and wishing to maintain its exclusivity, created the bay to not accept anything in a V configuration. When Ford took over the reigns in 89, the bay was modified with Fords help at the behest of Ford because the I6 was deemed inadequate to compete against other cars in it's class. With Ford's money, it was redesigned for the 93 model year to accept a 6.0 V12 (Known as XJ81). XJ40 was always meant to replace the Series II XJ, however due to budgetary constraints by parent company BL, it was decided to tweak Series II (hence, Series III) as a "stop-gap" measure until the successful build of the XJ40 which initially was pushed back until the '84 model year, and then again until the '87 model year. The XJ40 was actually built starting in late '86 as an '87 model. All in all, the Series III (79-87, but sold along side XJ40 until 92 with the V12) saved them 8 years of time before the new generation XJ car came out (the XJ40).
@@TheDarkPhoenix23 I agree. The XJ engine bay was designed to receive the V12 engine from the outset, however jaguar could not get the V12 ready for the XJs introduction in 1968. So contrary to what is said in this video, there is a lot of unused space in the engine bay of an XJ6.
When you closed the door I noticed you have the '''çow bells'. There are vents behind the rear seat that allow cabin air to enter the boot. It then gets to the outside on each side under the rear bumper. You just have to get to the flaps from inside the boot and fit new foam rubber. The XJ S3 still gets people looking and say it is a nice car. Well done and hope you have a lot of fun with it.
The water leak in the footwell was the same as my S2. I had the screen out and replaced the rubber seal and it improved but still leaked. To cut a long story short I found under the bonnet/hood the gutter that runs along the wing and joins the scuttle gutter had not been sealed properly from the factory. It was the tiniest of gaps but once sealed with silicone my car was as dry as a bone. It took 2 years for me to find it and I was about to dismantle and remove the dash.
one word... "elegant"!
That is a lovely example XJ young man.
Regarding the story about the Rover V8. You are near the mark ot truth and I will give you what I understand is the truth.
Sir William Lyons involvement with Jaguar ended with the takeover by British Leyland, he became a none executive director and only having design input until he retired. The Rover V8 was never offered up for fitting into the Series 3 XJ. The Series 3 had nothing to gain because it had the straight XK6 or Vee 12 as engine options.
It wasn't until the XJ40 was being developed that the board of Ford suggested a V8. This went against the grain of the engineers at Jaguar so they (as I understand it) "designed the XJ40 engine bay to only take a straight six engine" for the AJ6 engine.
In truth, it was a bit of misinformation that was fed back to the Ford board late into the development of the XJ40 because the engineers didn't want a Ford V8 in the car and Ford didn't have their V8 ready anyway.
However, those cunning engineers somehow managed to shoehorn a V12 into the XJ40 later in its life and prior to the new X300. The V8 used in the X308 XJ V8 is a Jaguar designed engine that was built at the Ford plant in Bridgend, south Wales. When Ford sold Jaguar to TATA, the manufacturing of the V8 went to a new purpose built plant in Wolverhampton, England. That V8 engine was also used in Land Rover products like the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
Awesome post and info, thanks!!!
I think sir William dinied putting a V8 Rover bcz he knew he had perfected the XJ6,with the straight six 4.2,he had a vision that it's going to be timeless match design (the engine 4.2&body)
They story of the engine bay being for a strictly I6 is for the XJ40, which is actually the last car Lyons had input on, though strictly from a suggestive role as he had retired by the time XJ40's body was designed.
It was the xj40 that came after the xj6 s3 in 1986 that was designed to not take the rover v8 so they used the s6 3.6 unit instead. For this reason they couldn't fit the v12 into the new xj40 either so they continued the xj6 s3 v12 design along side until 1992. Yes a 1968 shape was still being sold new with a v12 well into the 90's! When they finally had to find a way to use the xj40 modern shape with a v12 6.0 unit by then to compete with modern bmw and merc v12 cars it was only for 1993 to 1994.
The years are a little bit out but interesting nonetheless. It may be a little bit different in the states. The XK engine was first developed in 1948 for the xk120. The xj 40 was introduced in 1986 ( UK anyway). The rover v8 was going to be put in the xj40 not xj6. They continued to produce the series 3 until 1992 in v12 format as a V engine would not fit the xj40 shell. Great car's the series range but do suffer rust if not checked. Nice video. The thing to remember is that these cars was everyday cars year's ago and sold very well so couldn't have been that bad. If maintenance is kept up to date why wouldn't it be able to be used as it was intended.
Old Jags are great looking cars and the interior is great hopefully I’ll own one some day nothing with a v12 tho 😂
I own a series 3 with the V12 engine. Its fabulous. So smooth and so much torque. Very reliable engine also, contrary to what people commonly think. Jaguar produced 161,000 V12s and won Le Mans with the XJR-9 in 1988 where the engine was tuned to output a stunning 700hp. But the V12 is à complex engine that requires skilled maintenance .
@@s3v12bill2 I’ve always heard the 6.0 is the best when it comes to the v12s they’re always in such rough shape tho where I live hopefully I can find one that was enthusiast owned 😎
I have a 1984 xj6 and it makes a raddle every time i drive it and now started smoke alot. Wanted to press on gas paddle and it made it worst.
Any ideals or recommendations.
As someone that has the same car could be battery never were I would first look but I did and once I fixed it changed alot of things
Yes that is basically a true story but in reference to the soon to be released XJ40 model not the series 3. ….as mentioned by others also.
Everyrthing works...except the Speedo :-)
I’m not sure I believe the story about the Rover 3.5 though I did hear a similar story about the xj40 and not wanting a Ford v8, so they designed the engine bay too narrow. The Rover 3.5 would have been a major downgrade with much less power than the Jag 4.2 six.
Don't you mean under the bonnet?
Adjust the wipers
Series 1 and 2 where in house design series 3 was pinifarina design and non of the panels are the same as series 2.
Triumph acclaim was a honda ballade not an accord.
I never understood why they wanted a V8 for this car as the straight 6 was adequate. The V12 was impressive but not very practical. It was so heavy that it actually out weighed its own performance considering it was a 5.2 ltr capacity. But having a V12 under the bonnet, gave the impression that it was way much faster than the 4.2 straight 6 was. But it wasn't, and how many owners could prove it when the speed limits on British motorways were introduced in 1967.Today the modern motorist just boasts about how fast their car can go. All talk and no action. It reminds me of a guy who buys a speed boat for his swimming pool.
Jaguar was Grace, Space and Pace. And Pace came last because pace was not only what Jaguar was all about. And there were no sports models and or "R" models like cheaper common cars offered, there were just Jaguars.
No the sorry about the straight six and v8 belongs to the xj40 project where the designers made sure a v8 would not fit , the series 3 will take v8 very easily .
Damn kinda want to cram a 5.0 coyote in that and peel idfk
Please don’t buy one of these.
First thing get that stupid bit of rubber strip of the side of the car it non standard look stupid . The only coach bright work should be a chrome strip along the highline crease.
It was the xj 40 that the v8 would not fit not the xj6
Rover wanted to put their V8 in the new XJ40. Horrified, Jaguar deliberately designed the XJ40's engine bay too narrow for a V-shaped engine. After all, fuel was expensive so no one would want such large engines anymore. Then BMW and Mercedes introduced 12 cylinder saloons of their own and Jaguar had no choice but to continue making the S3 XJ12 to compete with the Germans until they could redesign the engine bay of the XJ40.
Do us all a favour and ditch the ugly bumpers!
I've owned three of these in the past 25 years. Torn down almost every nut and bolt. A reliable Classic? Get ready. You're dealing with a British car that is at least 35 years old. You'd better have a fat wallet.
And definitely, ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE!
These are incredibly reliable cars, until they go to America, where the mechanics have neither the knowhow or sophistication to look after them.
These cars didnt have chrome, everything was polished stainless steel.
What happens is people design nice cars eg E type and series 1 XJ and you guys have to have pussy bumpers because you can't drive so have federal bumpers . Borrow a series 1 manual V12 for a blast
Let me go around with a screwdriver I will show you that car is a rust bucket