Highlights
• Only 26200 genuine miles from new
• Full original Jaguar toolkit
• Lots of original paperwork
• Extremely clean
• 2 sets of keys
• Rare 2.9 model
• Full original Jaguar toolkit
• Lots of original paperwork
• Extremely clean
• 2 sets of keys
• Rare 2.9 model
The Background
Since 1968 the XJ name has graced the roads of the world providing power and comfort to anyone who has had the pleasure of owning one. Throughout its 50-year lifespan, it went through five different generations and as of 1970, it became Jaguars flagship four-door model.
From 1986-1994 the Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) was in full production. Featuring independent rear suspension and a new electronic instrument cluster it was voted the safest car in Britain in 1993 by a government survey. It came with 5 different engine choices and 4 variants of gearboxes that you could fit into it. It was replaced by the Jaguar XJ X300 variant in 1994.
Overall production of the XJ would run until 2019 when the XJ name was retired by Jaguar, there were plans to release an all-electric version however these plans were shelved in February 2021.
From 1986-1994 the Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) was in full production. Featuring independent rear suspension and a new electronic instrument cluster it was voted the safest car in Britain in 1993 by a government survey. It came with 5 different engine choices and 4 variants of gearboxes that you could fit into it. It was replaced by the Jaguar XJ X300 variant in 1994.
Overall production of the XJ would run until 2019 when the XJ name was retired by Jaguar, there were plans to release an all-electric version however these plans were shelved in February 2021.
The History
Purchased from Marshalls Cambridge on the 27th of November 1986 this XJ6 was specced with some special and expensive options from the factory.
The automatic gearbox was a £521.74 option, the Clarion 950 was £136.46, headlamp power washers were £216.72, other additional features include the power sunroof, the metallic paint and the doeskin leather interior, with such big-ticket features from the dealer you can already tell that this Jaguar would have been loved and cherished by both of its previous owners.
Having a look at the collection of paperwork that comes with the car you can start to build a picture of where and how it has been looked after. From delivery, it appears to have lived the majority of its life near to the dealership in Cambridge as all of the service stamps running up until 2003 have the Cambridge postcodes.
Between 2003 and 2020 the hasn’t been any service stamps added to the book but with a mileage increase of only 3,000 miles in 17 years it appears this car has only been used for exceptionally special occasions. If you search the number plate on the DVLA MOT records you can see just how few miles have been covered every year since 2005. Its thanks to the low mileage that this car is now presented in such excellent condition.
The automatic gearbox was a £521.74 option, the Clarion 950 was £136.46, headlamp power washers were £216.72, other additional features include the power sunroof, the metallic paint and the doeskin leather interior, with such big-ticket features from the dealer you can already tell that this Jaguar would have been loved and cherished by both of its previous owners.
Having a look at the collection of paperwork that comes with the car you can start to build a picture of where and how it has been looked after. From delivery, it appears to have lived the majority of its life near to the dealership in Cambridge as all of the service stamps running up until 2003 have the Cambridge postcodes.
Between 2003 and 2020 the hasn’t been any service stamps added to the book but with a mileage increase of only 3,000 miles in 17 years it appears this car has only been used for exceptionally special occasions. If you search the number plate on the DVLA MOT records you can see just how few miles have been covered every year since 2005. Its thanks to the low mileage that this car is now presented in such excellent condition.
The Paperwork
There is quite a bit of paperwork that the new owner will inherit with the purchase. These include original Jaguar literature that would’ve been provided when the car rolled out of the dealership in 1986 and even the original bill of sale that itemises all of the extras, day of first registration, and other little pieces of information that will tell you more about the care.
There is a service book that comes with the car with quite a few dealership service stamps in it. There are also a few invoices that show some work that has been done to the car over its lifetime.
Amazingly it comes with an original Jaguar ‘background to the future’ cassette tape and even the original paint touch up pens (supplied by the dealer in 1986), these items may seem small but its yet another little sign of how well this car has been looked after over its life.
There is a service book that comes with the car with quite a few dealership service stamps in it. There are also a few invoices that show some work that has been done to the car over its lifetime.
Amazingly it comes with an original Jaguar ‘background to the future’ cassette tape and even the original paint touch up pens (supplied by the dealer in 1986), these items may seem small but its yet another little sign of how well this car has been looked after over its life.
The Interior
The interior of this Jaguar is just amazing; thanks to its low mileage and level of care it has received over the past 35 years it is now present in almost new condition. The Doeskin leather seats were fitted as extras back in 1986 at the cost of £537.79 (about £1600 in today’s money) and today they are in great condition.
There are no rips, tears, and little to no signs of sagging in the leather. For such light-coloured leather, it is also great to see that there are no stains to the leather either. The wooden accents that adored the doors and dashboard are also in great condition, but what more would expect from a car that has been looked after as well as this one.
Back in 1986 the new and exciting feature to this, the newest XJ6 variant was the digital dash displays. In 2021 these still look as cool and as futuristic as they would have done back in when it rolled off the production line. From what we can see from the photos these displays that show your fuel, oil pressure, coolant temps, battery condition and other vital information all work, with all the pixels still being illuminated nice and bright.
As you can imagine from a Jaguar from the ’80s the interior is a great place to be and although there are almost as many ashtrays as there are cylinders it has never been smoked in. One little neat feature that is sadly not seen in modern cars is a mirror within the glove box, just so you can keep your big 80’s hairstyle in check before leaving the car.
If you are to check in the boot you can see that there has never been anything dirty stored in here. The carpeting is in great condition and with the addition of the original and fully complete Jaguar toolkit and also a full-sized spare, still in a new and unused condition, you are almost ready for any occasion.
Overall the interior of this XJ6 is in excellent, if not immaculate condition. The car is just waiting for the new owner to step into it and take it for a long cruise and thanks to the comfortable leather seats you will get to the other end feeling as fresh as when you left.
There are no rips, tears, and little to no signs of sagging in the leather. For such light-coloured leather, it is also great to see that there are no stains to the leather either. The wooden accents that adored the doors and dashboard are also in great condition, but what more would expect from a car that has been looked after as well as this one.
Back in 1986 the new and exciting feature to this, the newest XJ6 variant was the digital dash displays. In 2021 these still look as cool and as futuristic as they would have done back in when it rolled off the production line. From what we can see from the photos these displays that show your fuel, oil pressure, coolant temps, battery condition and other vital information all work, with all the pixels still being illuminated nice and bright.
As you can imagine from a Jaguar from the ’80s the interior is a great place to be and although there are almost as many ashtrays as there are cylinders it has never been smoked in. One little neat feature that is sadly not seen in modern cars is a mirror within the glove box, just so you can keep your big 80’s hairstyle in check before leaving the car.
If you are to check in the boot you can see that there has never been anything dirty stored in here. The carpeting is in great condition and with the addition of the original and fully complete Jaguar toolkit and also a full-sized spare, still in a new and unused condition, you are almost ready for any occasion.
Overall the interior of this XJ6 is in excellent, if not immaculate condition. The car is just waiting for the new owner to step into it and take it for a long cruise and thanks to the comfortable leather seats you will get to the other end feeling as fresh as when you left.
The Exterior
Like the interior, the exterior of the XJ6 is in near immaculate condition, it is a truly striking and stunning example of a classic Jag. From the factory, the Jaguar was specced in this lovely Arctic Blue, a special colour with a metallic fleck in it and when it catches the light it sparkles like new.
All of the silver chrome accents around the grille, windows, door handles and rear bumper are in excellent condition with there being no signs of any deterioration to these oh so important design touches.
The original steel wheels, fitted with 'Press Spoke' wheel trims are all in great order and free from any curb marks. Unlike modern Jaguar saloons, the tires fitted are not low profile, which means that the ride and comfort of the car is truly sublime. Something you want in a car like this.
Another additional feature that was optioned from the factory is the electric sunroof. This was one of the most expensive features fitted to the car and to this day it still works flawlessly, with no signs of leaking.
You would have to search long and hard to find another early XJ40 in the same sort of exterior condition as this example is in.
If you were to take this to a car show you may even be able to win best in show without any lengthy preparations. One of the best looking XJ6 may be on the UK market at the time of writing.
All of the silver chrome accents around the grille, windows, door handles and rear bumper are in excellent condition with there being no signs of any deterioration to these oh so important design touches.
The original steel wheels, fitted with 'Press Spoke' wheel trims are all in great order and free from any curb marks. Unlike modern Jaguar saloons, the tires fitted are not low profile, which means that the ride and comfort of the car is truly sublime. Something you want in a car like this.
Another additional feature that was optioned from the factory is the electric sunroof. This was one of the most expensive features fitted to the car and to this day it still works flawlessly, with no signs of leaking.
You would have to search long and hard to find another early XJ40 in the same sort of exterior condition as this example is in.
If you were to take this to a car show you may even be able to win best in show without any lengthy preparations. One of the best looking XJ6 may be on the UK market at the time of writing.
The Mechanics
It is said that this XJ6 runs and drives just as well as it looks. With so few miles on the clock, many of the components have only just been run in. Even though it has never completed mega mileage it has still been looked after mechanically, which the invoices will show.
This Jaguar was fitted with the now very rare 2.9 litre SOHC version of the AJ6, only given away on the exterior by the 'scripted' badges on the boot lid. Using the same all aluminium block from the larger 3.6 DOHC AJ6, with a cylinder head from a V12, it was produced to fit in a preferential sub 3000cc tax band with the idea of tackling the fleet market and competing with Rover's newly released 800 series. The 165bhp unit was never known for its straight line performance, but that's rather missing the point - It's a silky smooth unit and perfectly suited to the cars character as a relaxed cruiser. The optional ZF automatic gearbox is well known for being an extremely tough bit of kit and behaves as it should, providing smooth changes through the range. Both of these major components run as good as you would expect them to. The new owner will be picking a car that they can just jump in and drive away immediately, no trailers, no tuning to get it to run right, just a simple turn of the key and drive away.
Jaguars from this era are sometimes plagued with dashboards that resemble more of a Christmas tree than a luxury automobile, but you will be happy to hear that the dash of this big cat is free from any warning lights and will provide you with many miles of happy motoring. This car has to be driven to be appreciated for what it is. The luxury saloon platform will just eat up all of the miles thrown at it.
This Jaguar was fitted with the now very rare 2.9 litre SOHC version of the AJ6, only given away on the exterior by the 'scripted' badges on the boot lid. Using the same all aluminium block from the larger 3.6 DOHC AJ6, with a cylinder head from a V12, it was produced to fit in a preferential sub 3000cc tax band with the idea of tackling the fleet market and competing with Rover's newly released 800 series. The 165bhp unit was never known for its straight line performance, but that's rather missing the point - It's a silky smooth unit and perfectly suited to the cars character as a relaxed cruiser. The optional ZF automatic gearbox is well known for being an extremely tough bit of kit and behaves as it should, providing smooth changes through the range. Both of these major components run as good as you would expect them to. The new owner will be picking a car that they can just jump in and drive away immediately, no trailers, no tuning to get it to run right, just a simple turn of the key and drive away.
Jaguars from this era are sometimes plagued with dashboards that resemble more of a Christmas tree than a luxury automobile, but you will be happy to hear that the dash of this big cat is free from any warning lights and will provide you with many miles of happy motoring. This car has to be driven to be appreciated for what it is. The luxury saloon platform will just eat up all of the miles thrown at it.
The Appeal
With a car in this good of a condition coupled with the iconic Jaguar name, it is sure to be as much of an investment opportunity as well as a great car to drive. With the bundle of history, the service records, immaculate interior, and stunning exterior the new owner will be picking up a calibre of care that is rarely seen on the UK market. Surviving 2.9 models are also extremely rare, making this a seldom seen opportunity.
The special options that the first owner had Jaguar fit the car are now vital to how this car looks and performs. And with it performing both of these tasks with ease we can thank the first owner for their hindsight in how to spec a great car.
If you take a look at the trend in prices with historic Jaguars they all seem to experience a lull just before they start to rocket in value, the XJ40 variants of the XJ6 are starting to creep up in value as people start to appreciate them for the excellent cars that they are, so just be aware that this may be your last opportunity to pick up such a great car at this price point.
The special options that the first owner had Jaguar fit the car are now vital to how this car looks and performs. And with it performing both of these tasks with ease we can thank the first owner for their hindsight in how to spec a great car.
If you take a look at the trend in prices with historic Jaguars they all seem to experience a lull just before they start to rocket in value, the XJ40 variants of the XJ6 are starting to creep up in value as people start to appreciate them for the excellent cars that they are, so just be aware that this may be your last opportunity to pick up such a great car at this price point.
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