Halloween will be here in just over two weeks from now, and many already seem to be in the spirit. I started seeing Halloween-themed candy and t-shirts for sale in stores weeks before summer was officially over last month (thank you, Five Below!). I have a couple of friends back in Flint who throw some of the best Halloween gatherings I have ever been to, as a youth or as an adult, and they really commit to their movie-caliber costumes, decorations, and overall presentation. Some folks are just really into Halloween. When I had started to become more aware of some of the darker sides of this annual event that’s otherwise fun for a community, I had come to hold the belief, apparently mistaken, that black cats have a higher torture rate during this time. I was thankful to learn that this is actually not true and merely the stuff of urban legend.
I don’t think I’ve ever been superstitious, but the idea that having a black cat cross one’s path to be bad luck was still placed on my radar from a very young age. This was represented almost as factual in cartoons, movies, books, etc. to where I just took it for granted at some point, even if not seriously. The thing, though, is that I love cats. When my family of origin had lived abroad when I was in the fourth grade, we had two cats and loved them so much that upon our return to the States the next year, this previously pet-free family adopted a kitten almost immediately. I have to come to appreciate the myriad qualities of dogs in adulthood, but my love of cats started early.
It has been my good experience that the cats that have crossed my life’s path have had as much personality as the dogs I’ve encountered, and most of these cats have been good company with only a few exceptions. We had a cat named Chester who loved people, was a great companion while I did my homework, and also seemed to have this amazing ability to know when I was feeling down, often cheering me up with a head rub and a loud purr. I loved Chester and hold great fondness in my memories of him. None of the Dennis cats were black, but I suppose my point is that once cats had so solidly endeared themselves to me, I couldn’t imagine someone harming one just because it had lustrous, black fur.
When I had seen this Series III Jaguar XJ6 parked near the neighborhood sweets shop, several things immediately came to mind. The first was that these cars look stunning in black, accentuating the feline-like stance, curves, and details of the bodywork. I also remembered that it was while driving a Jaguar like this one with her kids in the back seat that country music superstar Barbara Mandrell was involved in a head-on collision on September 11, 1984, with her later extolling the benefits of wearing seatbelts in national print ads and TV commercials.
Ms. Mandrell’s Jaguar was silver, but seeing those spots chilled me to the bone, which I guess means that they were effective. The third thing I thought of was the one time around 1990 when Janet Jackson had scored yet another multi-format, top ten Billboard smash by channeling her inner Lita Ford. “Black Cat” isn’t necessarily my favorite song of hers, but I love how hearing that pop-rocker instantly transports me back to high school.
I honestly can’t guess the model year of this black XJ6 with any accuracy. It looks new enough that a license plate search might have worked (the refreshed Series III was introduced for ’79), but nothing turned up. I’m guessing this one is from ’84 or earlier due to the absence of a center high-mounted stop lamp (CHMSL) which would have been required for ’85. It has a 176-horsepower, 4.2 liter inline six mated to a GM-sourced three-speed automatic. If this car is actually an ’84, it’s one of just over 15,800 XJ6s built in Coventry for the model year. The ’84 sold for around $31,000 new, which translates to about three times as much in 2024.
Would owning this road-going, black cat mean bad luck? As I was snapping these photos during Labor Day weekend, a bicyclist stopped to chat with me for a bit about the car. “These are nice to look at, but they have lots of problems. Lots of ’em,” he said. I moved around the car with my camera, getting my shots as he went on before I asked him, “Do you know the owner of this particular car?” “Sure I do.” If I had believed him, I might have asked him for more specifics, but I had somewhere to be shortly thereafter. I mentioned something about how the wonky Lucas electrical system (I was purely guessing, though an educated guess) might be the source of major headaches, and he agreed with me. He was a nice guy, and I like that he stopped to talk with a complete stranger with a camera about somebody else’s car. It happens sometimes.
From what I have read about this vintage of XJ6, unless it has been pampered really well and maintained consistently (and this example looks like it might have been), these aren’t necessarily a great bet for a regular daily driver, with a sometimes prohibitively increased cost of parts and labor relative to less exotic used cars. Stated another way, while one that appears in decent shape may be had for a reasonable amount of money, keeping an older Jag like this in good running order could end up costing its owner much more in the short run than its secondhand purchase price. For me, owning a money pit would be the opposite of good luck, but I hope that’s not the case with this example in gleaming black. Let’s hope this Jaguar has at least a few more of its nine lives left.
Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois.
Sunday, September 1, 2024.
Will there ever be a Jaguar article here where costs, reliability issues and Lucas are NOT mentioned? It gets so tiring.
I have a friend with a really nice BMW 735 from 1987 or so, and he has had large replacement and unexpected repair costs over only a two year period. Not to mention that some parts were really hard to come by – something that is not a problem with Jaguars.
Another friend owns a Mercedes, and another a 70s Alfa Romeo. Both owners have stories about high costs. I have had years of experience of my Jaguar 420 (forerunner of the XJ6) which I daily drove for a number of years.
Yes, there will be costs, sometimes high costs in running old cars but that should be something to be expected. If you worry about costs then please drive a new car (and forget that these often have very high depreciation costs).
What most people forget is that an old Jaguar like this one is actually a joy to own. Not only very pretty but fast too, with good road manners and superb comfort.
I agree – this black cat looks amazing. I have never been a cat person, but two of my children now have cats, and I can understand their attraction. But just like with this car, I will understand it from afar. Actually, because I am more of a car person than a live-cat person, I would sooner take my chances with this Jag. My kids have had some significant expenses from their pet cats too.
I owned and daily drove a light beige ’84 XJ6 for 3 or 4 years. It was very reliable. The only thing I ever had to do to it was replace the starter. Wonderful car, and so quiet and smooth going down the highway. Very solid and excellent workmanship. Beautiful, classy design.