1976 Jaguar XJ6C

The XJ6C was a coupe version of Jaguar's longstanding XJ platform. I was thinking about Jaguar the other day. They're obviously a legendary automaker and revered in their home country but haven't really had a hit on this side of the Atlantic in a long time. I'd factor in a lot of reasons: quality, marketing, pricing, economics, competition and the general mood of the times.

That said, it's vital to recognize they practically created the mold of the luxurious but quick footed 6-cylinder sedan with the XJ6, just around the time Mercedes got in on it and before BMW did.

This is from the Series II XJ from 1973-1979. With over 91,000 examples built, it was a mild success. Between 1975 and 1978, there was a limited run of 9,378 two-door pillar-less coupes, based on the short wheelbase XJ. It came with either 6 or eight cylinders.

On the surface, it seemed great, and it certainly looked great. The XJ is obviously an already handsome car and the coupe is arguably even more graceful, US bumpers aside.

Unfortunately, its very Britishness got the best of it. The doors were literally just extended pieces from the sedans, with weld lines visible on the inner side. The roof was covered in a homely vinyl, which trapped water and eventually rusted. The paint flexed and cracked because of the pillar less body. The price was also higher than the sedan.

Today, the XJ6C still around usually have these problems rectified or are complete basket cases. This one falls in the middle somewhere. The seller says it has a 350 engine conversion that is in good condition but needs some work. At least it looks elegant in white with white wall tires.

Available here on craigslist for $5,500 or best offer.

Supercar Alert: 1994 Jaguar XJ220 on Ebay

The XJ220 is easily one of the coolest and most beautiful cars ever made. So-called for its targeted top speed of 220 miles per hour, it was never originally intended for production, but was so well-received at the 1988 British Motor Show that Jaguar did make just 281 examples for public consumption. One can imagine the awe it inspired as Thatcher-era yuppies licked their lips and feasted their eyes on it.

The original concept had a V12 and all-wheel drive. For production, a twin-turbocharged V6 was used instead to reduce weight and complexity and increase balance. It was mounted in the rear of the car and pumped out 542 horsepower to just the rear wheels.

Keith Helfet's styling is truly something to behold, a masterpiece looking both back and forward at the same time. It almost reminds me of something Luigi Colani might create. In the 80s, Jaguar was moving away from their luscious curves of the 50s and 60s and towards harder edges and boxy shapes in vogue at the time and employed to great effect by the Germans and Japanese. But when the XJ40 debuted in 1986 with large rectangular headlights, it backfired, and almost killed the brand, along with quality and reliability issues. The XJ220 revived association of Jaguar with sensuous curves and did so in a manner that was futuristic and classic at the same time. It's a huge home run and is one for the ages.

Inside, occupants are surrounded by sculpted leather racing seats, stitched leather dashboard and extra analog gauges on the door.

The seller says this example has just 960 miles on the odometer and is clearly a near-mint museum-quality collector's piece. The XJ220 is amazing to look at, very fast, and extremely rare. It is a classic supercar from the late 80s/early 90s heyday of supercars, and is a high point in Jaguar's history.

Available here on ebay in Barrington, Illinois for $300,000 or "reasonable offers".

Matching Numbers 1959 Jaguar Mark IX

The first time I saw this listing, the seller had a post script that said the vehicle could be the same exact Jaguar driven by Kim Novak in Vertigo. My attention immediately piqued so I did some research and sure enough there was a similar car in the film. Hitchcock's movies are already A-list, and the cars that appeared in them (remember the Aston Martin from The Birds?) are iconic to say the least. I was ready to post it when poof - the listing disppeared.

Then I was reading Old Parked Cars this morning and I came across their in-person encounter of this car, along with a link to a new ebay listing. Thanks guys!

Only 10,009 produced Mark IX were produced from 1959-1961. These come from a long line of beautiful Jaguar cars, and was one of the last of its shape before it was replaced by the wider, lower and more modern Mark X. They were available in one or two-tone colors. This one is pitch-perfect in dark green/light moss green over grey leather interior.

These were powered by just one engine: a large 3781cc inline 6-cylinder that pumped out a very respectable 220 horsepower to the rear wheels. It came to an equally forceful stop thanks to four-wheel disc brakes.

Older Jaguar sedans run the gamut in price and condition. They aren't as desirable and worth nearly as much as they coupes and convertibles, but they are just as pretty and intriguing to look at. This is undoubtedly the high point of the British auto industry, before the successes of the Germans and Japanese in the 70s and 80s.

The seller of this example states it is a matching numbers older restoration with a complete engine, transmission, body and interior. They note the paint is likely not new, but the job was done well and still looks presentable.

Mechanically, they say it had problem with the starter, but was garaged while sitting. The seller says they did get it running, so it could be an easy fix.

Available here on ebay with 16 bids at $4,156 and a Buy-It-Now of $6,300. Hemmings CPI value guide puts a 1959-61 MK IX in fair shape at $7,550 and good at $13,500, with a 4% increase over time, so this seems like a good deal.

1994 Jaguar XJ12

How would you like four-doors and 12 cylinders for $1,999?

The code-name XJ40 body was nearly 15 years in the making. Jaguar had intended it to replace the XJ Series II, but production was delayed for one reason or another. Styling, however, continued at an even pace over the years, culminating in a debut at the British International Motor Show in 1986. The Series II XJ, meanwhile, was sold alongside the XJ40 until 1992.

Below is a development photo.

So what does 15 years of continuous styling yield? Sadly, not a shape everyone loved. Purists scoffed at the squared off edges and single-piece rectangular headlights that replaced the iconic quad round lamps. The instrument cluster was digital. The car was more modern than gothic the way Jaguars of the 1950s, 60s and 70s had been. But if the goal was to modernize the XJ, Jaguar succeeded. In a lot of ways, it was actually a very carefully crafted and good looking car. It still retained the classic long and low profile, and the rectangular headlights actually looked better on the boxy shape than the round units they later added did. It was offered in a bunch of rich colors and it looked good in every one of them, too. Jaguar had to move forward and they did so in the most appropriate way possible.

If most people were eventually won over by the styling, the XJ40 gained no fans for reliability and build quality. Sure, it's a solid car, but it just wasn't designed or made the way Mercedes-Benz were. The problem is that the XJ40 was intended to compete against the Benz, but it fell short yet again. By the end of the 1980s, when the Japanese had jumped into the ring with the Lexus LS400 and Infiniti Q45, both of which were faster, cheaper, far better made and arguably better looking, Jaguar was lagging far behind. They've never really recovered, either.

However, Jaguar still had one card up their sleeve their Japanese competitors didn't: the V12 in a four-door sedan. Jaguar had pioneered this setup, and had offered it before Mercedes and BMW jumped into the game. But Jaguar hadn't offered the V12 in the U.S. since 1979, and the XJ40 series only gained the 12-cylinder in 1993, just a year away from the whole car's demise entirely. By then, however, it made sense, as BMW had the 750iL and Mercedes the 600SEL. Could Jaguar keep up? Would it matter?

Jaguar's engine was a 6.0-litre HE version of their long-running V12 engine that dated back to 1971. More than 140 inner body parts had to be re-designed to accommodate the new V12. It was the same V12 used in the XJS during the same period, and produced a very healthy 318 horsepower powering the rear-wheels.

Only a total of 2,991 were ever made, and just 1,325 were exported around the world. By the time this powerful car debuted, the XJ40's reputation was too damaged to ever recover, and sales reflected that. If you thought the 6-cylinder XJ might be problematic,12-cylinder reliability and upkeep could be an absolute nightmare.

Fortunately, if you want to find one, they are available at inexpensive entry prices. This example is being offered up by the owner who says it runs great and has a functioning tachometer, speedometer and odometer. They state the mileage as 137,000, and wears new tires and a new battery.

I'd ask about any maintenance history available. But if you're looking for cheap and fast transportation, this could easily fit the bill and provide more than enough entertainment as well.

Find it here on craigslist in Tucson, Arizona.

Rumble in Coventry: 1976 Jaguar XJC V8

This cool custom Jaguar build features a 1996 Chevy 350 V8 engine on top of numerous cosmetic upgrades.

The XJC was a two-door coupe version of their XJ Series II sedan. Only 9,378 were made between 1975 and 1978. Like a lot of British cars, it looked good but was made poorly. Aesthetically speaking, the Series II translated surprisingly well into a pillar-less coupe. However, when it came to construction, fit, and finish, Jaguar cut corners and made mistakes. They welded on door extensions. The loss of b-pillars flexed the roof, which in turn cracked the paint. Jaguar covered the roof in vinyl, but it looked ugly and trapped rust.

Fortunately, the seller of example has rectified nearly all of the car's original problems and enhanced its strong points tenfold.

Cosmetically, they stripped the paint to the bare metal, vinyl roof and all, and repainted the whole body in glossy black. Inside, they have new grey leather seats from BAS interiors of England. The dash is new and the wood was refinished.

The wheels are from a 1996 XJR and are pitch-perfect. The only change I would have made is swapping clunky U.S.-spec bumpers for slimmer units or ditching them altogether.

Mechanically, the American V8 swap provides a ton more muscle and power. The seller says the engine itself was blueprinted, balanced, rebuilt and upgraded with a small cam and roller rockers.

The seller notes this was not a restoration, but a rebuild, and they say the car originally had no rust. They say it currently runs well and produces a "beautiful sound". It's certainly not a cat anymore...probably more like a lion.

This could really satisfy someone's itch for a sleek and unique classic Jaguar, but without the quality headaches that usually come with them.

Find it here on ebay in California with bidding at $5,600 but reserve not met.

Yes, They Did: 1975 Jaguar XJ6 Coupe

If you ever wondered why Jaguar never made a coupe version of their smashing XJ sedan...it's because you didn't know that they actually did. You're be in good company.

At first I thought it was a photoshop job or even dare I say a custom shortened chassis or something. But no. Between 1975-1978, Jaguar pumped out over 10,000 of these, small figures but enough so that a few have survived today.

The idea is really attractive. Their XJ sedan was already legendary. The ancient, gothic styling. 6-cylinder powerplant. Royal credentials. Any anglophile automatically loves Jaguar. So why not a coupe?

Fortunately, the XJ body translates really well into a 2-door coupe. It looks long, low and sleek. Suddenly, you can visualize yourself taking day trips from London to the English countryside and back.

That's about where the advantages end, though. To make the doors longer, Jaguar just welded extensions on to the standard XJ sedan door. The seams are often visible on the other side. Since there are no b-pillars, the roof flexed, causing paint to crack and chip away. Jaguar covered the roof with vinyl, but not only does it look in poor taste but was also a rust trap.

The seller of this example states it was restored in 2003. Their pictures are from 2011. They say it has a new biscuit interior, which does indeed look good. They say the car is otherwise original down to the chrome hubcaps.

I would try to swap the clunky 5 mph bumpers for slim Euro pieces, and maybe take the vinyl off and take the roof down to the bare metal then repaint it matching the bright red body color. Other than that, it's fine cosmetically.

The seller makes no mention of the mechanicals, however.

Find it here on craigslist in Minnesota for $10,500.