(first posted 5/3/2014) There are many car manufacturers which can be traced back to one individual’s vision and drive, and which then show through in the product. Names like Ford, Chrysler, Morris and Citroen come to mind. But few were as dominated as fully and successfully as Jaguar by Sir William Lyons. Describing the cars as succinctly may not be as easy, especially for the last one Lyons created himself, the Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12 and their Daimler equivalents.
The 1968 Jaguar XJ6 has to be considered as the zenith of the Sir William Lyons’s career as the founder and leader of Jaguar. It was the last Jaguar whose development Sir William Lyons personally directed; it used a six-cylinder engine that was originally designed immediately after the war for the XK120 sports car; that engine was manufactured using machine tools built for the manufacture of rifles in the Great War; its twelve-cylinder engine is considered to be one of the great engines of the last 50 years; it was the only new Jaguar (apart its direct derivative, the XJ-S) produced during the BMC/BL ownership of Jaguar (1966-1984); it replaced four different Jaguar saloons; and it was the first luxury car to win the Car of the Year (in 1969).
The creation of the XJ series was not managed without major challenges. Up until its release, the Jaguar saloon range was complex, with essentially four models (Mk 2, S-Type, 420 and 420G), two of which (the Mk 2 and 420) came in Daimler versions as well, of which the most modern (the 420G) was not the biggest seller, while the mechanicals of the others dated back to the 1950s. While Jaguar’s plan for the confused range of saloons was simple (use one car, in two wheelbases, to succeed them all), the cost to develop the forthcoming replacement, known within Jaguar at the time as XJ4, proved to be burden.
There was also a potentially bigger problem to address: in 1965, the supplier the company’s unit bodies–Pressed Steel Fisher–was purchased by BMC. Lyons, always an astute and shrewd businessman, could see that this would relegate Jaguar’s status and leverage within Pressed Steel–indeed in early 1966, Jaguar were advised Pressed Steel could not meet the required timescales for the XJ–and so agreed to a (generous) takeover offer from BMC in 1966.
Sir William Lyons, Deputy Chairman, and Sir George Harriman, Chairman of BMC, 1968
Lyons struck a hard bargain–not only a good price and the slot of Deputy Chairman, but also an agreement that he would retain full control of Jaguar. Indeed, it was not until BMC had merged with Leyland and then been taken under government control in 1974 that Jaguar was run by anyone not closely associated with Lyons. Lyons may also have judged that his hand was stronger with the weak BMC than with the alternative: the financially stronger Leyland group.
photo from www.aronline.co.uk
Size wise, the new XJ6 was pitched pretty well in between the Mk 2 and the Mk X/420G–it was ten inches longer than the Mk 2 and twelve inches shorter than the Mk X; the wheelbase was 109 inches (Mk2 107, Mk X 120 inches) and width was 70 inches, between the Mk 2 and Mk X.
photo from www.aronline.co.uk
The new car was effectively a distillation of all the good things Jaguar had achieved in the previous twenty years–it used the XK engine again, initially in 2.8 and 4.2 litre configurations, with rear suspension was based on the Mk X, front suspension from the Mk 1 of 1955 and Girling disc brakes all around. Its classic styling, finessed by William Lyons himself, covered an interior with a full treatment of traditional English wood and leather, and the whole package was a stunning value to boot.
The design concept began as a four door saloon version of the E-Type, but you sense that Jaguar (or Lyons) judged this style was either not sufficiently original or not sufficiently timeless, or maybe not redolent of the earlier saloons. The four headlight style adopted was close to that the Mk X and the 420G. Overall, it was definitely Jaguar, and proved to be pretty timeless, which is just as well given the long life it had.
The XJ6 hit the British market in September 1968, followed a year later by the more expensive Daimler Sovereign version with minor trim differences only (badge engineering in Britain–we’ve heard that before!). The launch included TV advertisements featuring Sir William Lyons describing the car as “the finest Jaguar ever.” By the end of 1969, all the old Jaguar and Daimler saloons had gone.
In the UK, XJ6 ownership could start at £1797 for a 2.8 litre; a 4.2 litre automatic, the most popular model and the better of the 6 cylinder options, retailed for £2398. The Rover 3.5 litre with the ex-Buick cost £2174, the Mercedes-Benz 280SE was £3324, the BMW 2800 was £3245. Jaguar had clearly passed the value for money test, again.
Jaguar had something else lined up for the XJ6: the first V12 engined saloon since before the war and the only V12 outside the Italian supercars. Jaguar had been considering a V12, initially as a variant of the XK family since the 1950s and later as the lead engine in a new family of engines to replace the XK. It was large for Europe, at 5.3 litres and was originally expected to have a V8 derivative as well, at around 3.5 litres.
In 1972, Jaguar first showed the XJ12 and Daimler Double-Six (reviving an old Daimler name). Although the car and engine had always been designed for each other, unlike the V12 E type for example, the engine was still a very tight fit and great lengths had to be taken to keep everything cool–the battery had its own cooling fan, for example; the radiator fan spun at faster than the engine at low speeds; and additional valves fitted to the fuel system controlled vapour lock.
But, as the only mass produced V12 car in the world, it boasted superb levels of refinement, quietness, smoothness and ride comfort. The car was available in standard wheelbase and long wheelbase (four inches longer, all in the rear passenger area) versions. At this time also, the 2.8 litre version was replaced by a 3.4 litre version.
In 1974, largely to meet US Federal regulations, Jaguar revised the XJ with a raised front bumper and consequently smaller grille, with additional intakes below, and with revised switchgear and air conditioning systems. The short wheelbase version was also dropped. This car was the basis for the wonderful XJ-C 2 door coupe range, based on the short wheelbase platform, and arguably one of the best looking cars of the 1970s.
Being BL and the 1970s, the Jaguar XJ was plagued with two big issues–industrial strife and the consequent disruption to production, and appalling build quality, both of the car and the components within it. The list of disputes, usually about next to nothing and concerning a small group of the Jaguar or supplier workforce, goes on and on, and is too depressing to record here. The list of quality issues is just as cheerless–poor paint finish, fragile gear selector, fuel gauges (both tanks), leaking brake fluid, petrol pumps, strange electrical happenings, or the need to replace the engine at 22,000 miles. This was just one car, as recorded by the son of the owner.
The XJ-C lasted only four years (1975-1978), having made it to the market two years after it was first shown. Jaguar never really got the sealing of the doors for noise and water as right as you’d expect, and given the additional costs of manufacture and the clash with the XJ12-based XJ-S from 1976 on, the XJ-C was allowed to quietly retreat. It is guaranteed to get more attention at a car show than any XJ-S now, though.
In 1979, Jaguar teamed up with Pininfarina to create what may well have been the most elegant facelift ever recorded, the XJ6 and XJ 12 series 3. It doesn’t sound like a lot–a revised, more contemporary roofline, new lights, interior revisions, a five-speed manual gearbox for the six cylinder cars–but the end result is perhaps the best looking Jaguar saloon ever, and a true timeless icon. This is the car that Keith Thelen has designated the CC Project Car.
The production issues continued unabated, with the paint range being very limited, for example, as Jaguar worked to get the finish up to anything like a decent standard. Eventually, Jaguar took control of the Castle Bromwich, Birmingham factory that produced and painted the shells, which helped in various ways, including making Jaguar more self contained and preparing the business for sale by BL in 1984. The factory, by the way, was originally built to manufacture the Spitfire, not the Triumph but the Supermarine fighter plane!
Of course, a car like this was always to find life hard going in the early 1980s, with the air of economic difficulties and high fuel prices. A higher compression cylinder head on the V12 helped a bit, as did the strong dollar of the early 1980s.
SS1 and XJ6 on a postage stamp, 1982
The six-cylinder cars were superseded by the XJ40 range in 1986; the V12 endured until 1992 before the V12, now in 6.0 litre form, was squeezed into the XJ40. History has that was a difficult task because Jaguar had deliberately designed the XJ40 to be unable to accept a V8 engine, to stop BL forcing a Rover-Buick V8 onto Jaguar. Allegedly. The XJ40, like all other Jaguar XJ variants up to 2009, borrowed heavily on the original for styling guidance, particularly the series III, sometimes with mixed results.
I saw the featured Series 3 Daimler Double Six and Series 2 XJ6 at a small, informal classic car gathering in southwest France last summer, centred around British cars. The French may not buy many Jaguars, partly because of the tax implication of doing so, but they certainly like them.
The British motoring press has always had a soft spot for Jaguar, and still does. In 1969, Motor (now defunct) said: ‘Jaguar sets impressive new standards; a combination of performance, comfort, roadholding and quietness unrivalled at the price with very few faults,” and in 1968, Autocar raved, “Unbelievable value. The best there is… If Jaguar were to double the price of the XJ6 and bill it as the best car in the world, we would be right behind them.”
The one magazine which stood out from much of this underlying, unchallenging attitude to British car industry, and indeed much of the European industry, from the early 1960s onwards was CAR magazine. This magazine took a defiant stand against what it perceived to be lazy, profitable mediocrity (it continually beat up on the Cortina for example, and described the Volvo 144 as being a domestic appliance). On the XJ6 in 1968, CAR said ,“to my mind the Jaguar is not merely remarkable for what it is, but also because it makes redundant all cars that cost more. I can think of no car of which this can be as truthfully said.” When CAR said that, the enthusiasts’ ears were pricked.
In 1977, CAR picked the XJ12 as a clear best saloon car in the world, ahead of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Mercedes 450SEL (W116) and Cadillac Seville. Even against the 1980 Mercedses-Benz W126, it was judged to be an even match, with the Jaguar leading on style, comfort and refinement ahead of the Mercedes’s autobahn storming abilities and ABS. Well into the 1980s, CAR was tipping the XJ-S as a better car in many ways than the Porsche 928, and Mercedes Benz SL and S class coupes.
So, perhaps the easiest way to describe the XJ12 is to say that, for most of the 1970s and maybe longer, it was the best car in the world. As simple as that.
A great read once again Roger thank you.A splendid car but complex with expensive parts and not always the best build quality.I like the coupe better than the XJS.One of my brother’s rugby mates bought a non running V12 Jag which after much time and money still didn’t run,he cut his losses and sold it for a fraction of the money he spent on it.Eventually the final owner broke it for spares.
While the latest Jaguars are smart,sleek and reliable they lack the character of the older models
To be fair CAR was always jingoistic in a way that American auto magazines never were.
But the XJs of that long drawn out generation are still some of the sexiest cars in the world.
Quite true. As a reader of both CAR and the German Auto, Motor und Sport back then, I used to get a kick at how lopsided they would consistently chauvinistic they were about the cars from their respective countries, and paint such disparate pictures of the same car.
That all changed in the mid ’80s with the W124 Mercedes; the 300E became the British press’ love object, and always the most highly recommended/rated executive saloon.
And I will admit that AMS did always find something good to say about the XJ6; they loved its torquey 4.2 six, as it was so different in character from the small high-winding sixes in the German cars. As well as the splendid ride, of course.
Was AMS as nasty about Japanese cars as the British magazines were? For the most part, if the British magazines have anything nice to say about Japanese models, it’s either grudging or backhanded. (I was honestly surprised when even CAR praised the original MR2; their only real gripes were the two-tone paint job and some of the decals.)
I guess all motoring journals will be nationally biased, if only because the readership expects it. However, I think CAR was less so than many British magazines in the 1970s and 1980s.
The worst I’ve ever seen was a French comparison test between the 1998 Jaguar S type and the Peugeot 605, “won” by the Peugeot!
There is a 1980s Daimler Double Six for sale at a garage only a few miles from my house. It has been there since the summer of 2012. The story behind it was that it was a private import by a Jaguar enthusiast, and that the garage bought it for a pittance after he passed away. Magnificent looking car like all XJ6s from that generation, and the idea of V12 power is heady stuff, but the thought of Jaguar’s reputation for workmanship and reliability in the 1980s frightened me into not asking further about it. Evidently everyone else has felt the same, because the car is still there almost two years later. Sadly, two years of being parked outside in the summer sun and heat of the Washington, DC area cannot have been kind to the Daimler’s wood and leather.
The last photo of the schoolboy admiring an XJ12 brought to mind something that you almost certainly did not intend. Having grown up in the U.S. during the 1980s, I instantly thought of the schoolboy outfit of the lead guitarist of AC/DC, and “Highway to Hell” (from 1979, like the XJ’s restyle) came to mind. It may be an appropriate soundtrack for ownership of a constantly breaking Jaguar!
Sadly there’s also a good chance of burning shoe leather instead of rubber with Jaguars of this vintage.A cheap Jag will very quickly become an expensive one.
Free Jags are the most expensive there are many Jag inspired lawn ornaments hereabouts. Out numbered by dead BMWs now but it seems normal for overpriced British and German cars here now.
I’m wondering whats making the Jag glow from the inside in the “kid looking in showroom” last photo?
Is there an electrical fire starting inside the car already?
Nah, that’s just Joseph Lucas sitting back there.
You know, I’ve never heard so many kind words about the Jag V12. Not that I know much about them, but I seem to remember reading that the 12-cylinder increased weight more than performance.
Beautiful cars, though… the post-facelift XJ sedans are still stunning. For some reason, I strongly prefer the fluted Daimler grille.
As soon as I saw the title I thought, “What about the S-Class?” I’ll certainly grant that the XJ is more beautiful but I’m not sure that makes it a better car.
A couple of years ago I felt the need to get a fixer upper car. After cruising Craigslist for a while I was struck by a lovely 1976 XJC. It was a wonderful shade of BRG with the vinyl top deleted and a Chevy 400/400 drivetrain. I did some research and found how rare they were and realized the seller’s $3500 asking price was a steal. Unfortunately the rusty rocker panels and inner fenders kept me from going to see it…for fear that I’d buy it anyway.
Instead I purchased a low-mileage one-family 1982 300SD for $900; all it needed was a battery and a master cylinder. It has gone from a flip project to being my daily driver. It’s never needed a major repair, failed to start, or left me stranded. Is there a 1982 Jaguar that could do the same?
Met a builder on a jobsite who was using a Merc 500 to carry his tools he got given it when it failed to sell new battery and 30k kms later he still drives it daily and leaves his Jag collection for weelends his son was currently fitting a Rover V8 into a XJ6 for reliability reasons, go figure.
Falcon sixes bolt up to the XJ6 auto gearbox, but you need to custom build some engine mounts. A mate did it when his 2.8 died.
Its a bit like Frankfurt or London – in one you’ll everything will work, the train will be on time, the traffic light sequences will make sense, the taxis will be clean and comfortable.
On the other hand you could have the basics working pretty well and Bucking ham Palace, Big Ben, Hyde Park, the River Thames, the BBC……where would you rather spend a holiday?
Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one (for obvious reasons!). Interesting to finally see the Daimler equivalent that’s mentioned throughout my Jag’s documentation. Another great read.
Let’s not forget the black Jaguar XJ in that 80’s show, driven by Edward Woodward in that detective show, The Equalizer.
Since, that show, I’ve always wanted a 70- mid 80’s Jaguar XJ.
My friend owns an 84 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas… black, like on the Equalizer. It just sits in his garage, along with his 72 Porsche 914, due to engine problems.
Well, that made the fantasy wear off a little. lol
Last week actor Bob Hoskins passed away. This 1978 Jaguar 4.2 XJ6 L was in the 1980 movie “The Long Good Friday”, Hoskins was the leading actor.
One of the best gangster-movies I ever saw.
I remember this vintage Jag as Archie Leach’s ride in A Fish Called Wanda.
Or John Steed’s special edition in the 1976-1977 TV-series “The New Avengers”
More info about that specialty here:
http://fabwheelsdigest.blogspot.nl/2013/02/jaguar-xj12c-by-broadspeed-1976-77.html
Of course, it was also Arfur Daily’ s car of choice in “The Minder” too!
+1 on The Long Good Friday.
There’s an SII 5.3 Coupe sitting in my garage. It won’t leave.
Jaguar’s such as these and the original XKE are what I would consider “art cars’. Nice writeup. The interiors are just first rate. Interiors now just look like Rubbermaid crap compared to these cars. If only the durability could match the looks, these cars would have been the world standard for other makers to compete with.
My understanding has always been that the XJ4 was originally supposed to launch with the V-12, but the latter wasn’t ready yet, nor was the V-8 spinoff. (The V-8 was a 60-degree engine and Jaguar ultimately got nervous about it being smooth enough for this class.)
As regards the corporate machinations, Donald Stokes had actually made Sir William an offer in 1965. Sir William considered it fairly seriously, but decided that merging with Standard-Triumph would exacerbate rather than resolve the Pressed Steel problem. Standard didn’t yet have the capacity to supply Jaguar and BMC undoubtedly wouldn’t have been pleased about Jaguar throwing in with Leyland. If PSF had cut Jaguar off, that might well have been the end.
If Leyland hadn’t merged with BMC, there probably would have been a battle royale between Jaguar and the Leyland group, which in lieu of Jaguar merged with Rover and picked up Alvis. The Rover P8 would have gone head to head with the XJ6 and there would probably have been an Alvis version to go against Daimler. I assume Sir William had a hand in killing the P8, as he did with the cancellation of the Austin-Healey 4000.
Almost certainly, Lyons led the BL board to kill the P8 to save the XJ6. Looking at photos of the P8, I think he was right
It was the best car in the world for people that didn’t need to get where they were going.
+1
Terrific write up Roger. I never knew about the door sealing issues with the XJC and about what happened to Jag quality in the early 70s. I thought it was always bad 😉
This is the first time I’ve seen a pic of the 4-door E-Type proposal. What a gorgeous car. I think Lyons made the right choice to go for the XJ instead as sales on the 4-door E would have been limited. Too bad they couldn’t do both cars.
Jaguar probably considered doing both. Jag had really elaborate and ambitious product plans in the ’60s; for a while, they seriously considered doing both what became the XJ-S *and* a real E-type successor, among other things. They eventually had to concede that they didn’t have the money to fulfill all those ambitions.
The best car in the world is also the worst car in the world….irony.
Ah, British car mags…….”Even though our Jagumiller XKCJ Vanden Blah with body by Mulliner Park Bench set itself on fire, didn’t start and had the door fall off, it’s still the best car in the world”
Cheers!…..Of to the pub for the best eating the world,…….warm beer and liver pudding!
Yum!
They are pretty though, I’ve always liked the XJ-C coupes, and the V-12 Jag is probably the “cheapest” way of owning a V12 car, and I’ve always wanted to own a 12 cylinder.
If you ever get a chance, check out the August 1989 issue of CAR, which has a savage piece of self-parody by Russell Bulgin entitled, “Britain’s Finest.” He compares the old Allegro-based Vanden Plas 1500 to a then-new Vauxhall Astra Belmont and the Ford Orion (quasi-upscale Escort sedan) in exactly the manner you describe, tongue firmly in cheek. It’s quite possibly the snarkiest thing I’ve ever read in CAR, which really takes some doing.
Meet Jaguar dealer Vandenplas from Belgium. As we all know the Van den Plas/
Vanden Plas/Vandenplas/Vanden Blah family originally came from Belgium.
http://www.jaguar-dealer.be/jaguar/jaguar-tervuren-garage-vandenplas/nl/home/
Yep saw one recently outside the local british car museum showing why you should not buy one, rust everywhere, This is a 1982 Daimler.
That’s not that bad, the tires and glass aren’t rusted…..
In my neck of the woods, that would merely be “getting kinda bad” (assuming at least half of the floorboards and underbody mounting points still exist).
Unfortunately, being a Jag prevents it from ever receiving the more positive version of that label… “rusty but trusty”.
Its got moss growing in the wheelarches and thats the good side underneath its good where its been protected by oil leaks and it sits 500m from the beach, much better versions are inside.
That final ad is very prescient – Jaguar and Range Rover, together. Of course, the latter has now surpassed the former, in sales terms – and prestige?
Note also the bicycle- something a lot of owners of both probably became very familiar with.
Upon joining the local MG club, I was counseled to always keep my auto club membership up to date, to keep the free local towing feature available.
I have read more than once that the XK-C had some hand built elements, including cutting and welding together two doors from the four door cars, to get the longer doors made. If one strips down an XJ-C door, one supposedly will find a nice lead filled seam running vertically up the middle of it. True, or legend?
I had heard that the same was true (even more so) for the roof, hence the standard vinyl top. If the mid-1970s hadn’t been the peak vinyl roof era, BL wouldn’t have been able to get away with that.
Another notable movie appearance of a Series 3 XJ sedan: the scene in Crimes and Misdemeanors (set to a slow movement from a Schubert string quartet) in which Martin Landau drives to the apartment of his mistress (Anjelica Huston) to see for himself that she’s been murdered according to plan. Includes a close-up of the front end as the headlamps are turned off.
I’ve heard the fact about the doors, but not the roof – also the rear pillars are very different, so I’m not sure how that would have worked
I might be able to cop the XJ being the best car in the world in 1968-74 (what about the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow?) but not by 1980 when it was fundamentally the same car. I would definitely put the W126 ahead of it.
Also the XJ12 was briefly the fastest regular production 4-door sedan in the world.
My view is that the XJ12 was significantly ahead of the Shadow, except for the air of craftsmanship around the Rolls. ON any measurable criterion, it was certainly better.
A fine read, Roger. A beautiful car as well. This is very timely and helpful to give us a little background and perspective while Keith works his magic on his CC project Jag.
A great writeup. While I will grant you that there were systemic issues with quality around the XJ6 model, they aren’t really as bad as everyone who has never owned one would let on. Having owned several (still have my 79 XJ6, although significantly modified with a 502 and nitrous), IMHO the engine is probably the most reliable part. All three that I owned never had engine mechanical problems – the problem was always electrical in nature (failed to start or died while running tracked back to fried ignition wires, bad grounds, or wiring/chafing issues that caused a short) and the transmissions were trouble free — because they were GM sourced. It always seemed that if there was a leak, it came from the impossible to get to rear axle seals, which meant no one fixed it until it became catastrophic.
As an aside, and having bought several more Jaguar products (XK8’s and XJ8s) I would say that the newer products are significantly better engineered, and that compared to the other offerings of their time are at least of the same quality. They still have that “jaguarness” that I don’t find in other cars — my current 2000 Van den Plas supercharged really has a ride that I have not experienced in other cars.
Those E Type looking sedans look wild!
The face of these cars looks right with the rest-of-world headlamp setup (7″ outboard, 5¾” inboard), and wrong with the US setup (5¾” inboard and outboard).
Fantastically beautiful cars, but I will always associate them and the XJ40s with the people who drove them second- or rather fourth-hand when I was growing up. When I see them, I see cream-coloured sofas and stone garden lions. Shudder. So much so that only in recent years have I come to appreciate the beauty of the cars themselves.
LOL at stone garden lions. Sure they weren’t concrete? I tend to associate them slightly more with Silver Shadow/Spirit and W116/126 owners anyway. At least the XJ owners had good taste in cars…
The guy who owned our local fish & chip shop had a very shiny black Double Six, with a private plate and chrome arches. I never saw his house, but cream leather and fat cigars might well have been the order of the day.
The kind of house they used to be found at seems to have a Merc in that spot today, since by the turn of the Millennium those reached Jag level opulence. Benelux/western Germany.
A friend had a series one Daimler; must have been 1980 when I got a ride in it. It was rotted to hell already and he had picked it up for nearly nothing to save his Alfa 1600GT from his daily commute across London. I remember the magnificent black interior, the superb ride and the fact that, driving at 70 mph, the only thing I could hear whilst sitting in the back seat, was the electric clock ticking the seconds by.
My dream car would be the 420G.; fat chance of that happening on my budget though!
I wish NASCAR had allowed the XJC to run the Daytona 500. Would’ve been nice to see a gutted Jag screaming down the straitaways with Junior Johnson behind the wheel.
I remember the racing XJC having water-cooled brakes – they had a lot of trouble slowing those things down at racing speeds.
If one were judging strictly on looks and driving dynamics a case could be made for the Jag as BCITW, but certainly not if reliability, build quality, or durability were criteria. The Brit mags were as chavinistic then as Clarkson is now. I can’t recall which, but Autocar or one of the other Brit magazines once conducted a comparison of luxury cars in the early ’70s and picked an Olds 98 over a Silver Shadow, based on their particular criteria, the Rolls only besting the Olds on build and materials, but the Olds superior for ride, space, handling, reliability, and durability… it’s all about horses for courses, of course.