Description
We are proud to present for sale this 1969 Jaguar XJ6 4. 2 LHD finished in Old English White with Oatmeal interior. The car runs, drives and is very solid but has been in storage for some time and will require recommissioning before hitting the roads again.
The Car
We are sure you have already noticed the diplomatic flag positioned on the front wing of this Series 1 XJ, well this particular Jaguar comes with a bit of a story.
Jamie Treadwell, (The grandson of Sir Charles James Treadwell - first UK ambassador to Abi Dhabi), decided to embark on an ambitious project to find and restore his grandfathers diplomatic car and take it back to the UAE for the 50th anniversary of their formation.
Now, whether or not this is the actual diplomatic car that belonged to Sir Charles is up for debate, but the story goes that Jamie and his friend, commenced a search for the original car, that took them as far as Croatia but had no success until, after endless hours of research, this car was found in Spain, their interest was piqued when a hole in the wing was discovered that could potentially accept a flag pole, suggesting that the car was once used in a diplomatic role and, of course, it is the correct year, colour and model, so you can draw your own conclusions, what ever it maybe, it’s still a great story!!
Sir Charles was presented with the number plate ‘AD 1’ by Sheikh Zayed during the signing of the foundation treaty! The original UAE number had actually been handed down to Jamie by his grandfather and the car wears this plate today, although it is just for show purposes. Also coming with the car is a documented story of the car, Sir Charles Treadwell and his Grandsons plan! It has a UK registration number having been registered here in July 2021 and is MOT and Tax Exempt. When it was repatriated to the UK, the car underwent some recommissioning work to make it roadworthy. It appears that Jamie’s grand plan never came to fruition as the Jaguar has been in storage for a while and now needs a few jobs attending to, hence its entry into the Restoration section of our website.
The Mechanicals
Although a factory 2. 8, someone has thankfully fitted this glorious 4. 2 straight six breathing through twin SU carbs, it starts and runs quite nicely and the auto box goes into gear and reverse as it should. There is an oil leak somewhere around the rear of the engine that would need looking at and the brakes will need attention, they work but there is very little assistance, so we would suspect an issue with the servo. Despite this the XJ appears to be in pretty good mechanical order. It will of course want a full mechanical assessment before it is safe to use on the road.
The Bodywork
The shell is in remarkably solid condition throughout, with next to no signs of corrosion, which you would expect of a dry climate car. This is mirrored by the underside which is in very good condition with the sills, floors and rear jacking points all looking very original and rust free, (Please see our website where there is a collection of underside photos) it certainly appears to have fared far better than a lot of its UK counterparts. The paintwork is certainly not the worst we have seen on this era of car, the cellulose paint build-up from various paintjobs is clear, however it has a nice even gloss to it and looks more than presentable.
The Interior
Inside, it is a delight with almost no work to complete, the leather seats are in exceptional condition as is the dash. The carpets and headlining are the same! A very nice place to sit! There are a few electrical gremlins to attend to, such as the fuel gauge and some of the switchgear. There is a modern blind that has been erected in the rear screen area, which can be easily removed, however it was believed that the original car had a similar blind, so a replication is believed to have been installed for aesthetic by Jamie’s restoration team!
Summary
This is an extremely solid car with all the fundamentals of a very easy recommissioning! We must stress this car would be a very good car with a little tinkering and some not so late nights in the garage! No rust to attend to which is a delight! It is an original Left Hand Drive car! The possibility of it being the first car registered in the then founded UAE is very interesting and quite possible, with some more investigation. We do hold a disclaimer to say that this absolutely may not be Sir Charles's original diplomatic car and we cannot prove or disprove that fact!
As with all our restoration projects, we have described our XJ6 honestly and with transparency allowing you to make an informed decision. We also highly recommend that you come and view the car which can be done by appointment at our Tewkesbury HQ, Mon -Sat.
