Beechtree Classics
All enquiries: 0748 006 7651
Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 4.2 SWB
£16,995
1972
50,000 miles (believed genuine)
- Knock off wires wheels
- Series 1 short wheel base
- under 50,000 miles – believed genuine
- Great spec with leather, Sundym glass and electric windows
Yes. It has wire wheels. Proper high quality chrome, knock off wires with splined hubs. They are Jaguar specification wheels by MWS - 6Jx 15” with a matching set of Brockley tyres. Honestly, they look great – the offset is right and they really suit the car. Still not sure? The original steel wheels, hubcaps and importantly the original hubs are all included so the car could be reverted to standard, but I don’t think you will once you see it in the flesh!
Now that’s out the way, the car itself is lovely. It’s in a fabulous colour scheme of factory Old English White with original dark blue leather and blue carpets. Great specification with the optional electric windows and sundym glass. More recently a few choice upgrades have been carried out such as a Mota Lita type wooden steering wheel and K&N air cleaners with re jetted carbs - but the original parts are included so the car could be reverted completely to standard if desired.
This Series 1 XJ6 with the 4.2-litre engine and 3-speed automatic gearbox was completed in early December 1971 and left Coventry for Glasgow shortly afterwards to Arnold Clark’s dealership, from where it was bought by the company J McGowan and Sons in January 1972. We believe that the McGowans were from County Leitrim in northwest Ireland and we have some evidence that the car spent many years there cherished within the family and then with a family friend before returning to the UK mainland in early 2017. It was then sold through Southam’s Classic Car Warehouse of Blackburn, Lancashire. During those 45 years, the car only averaged around 1,000 miles a year.
Whilst on sale with Southam’s, the car was featured in a Road Test by Classics World and the article is still online - search for “Classics World road test xj6 1972” to find it, or see the screenshots of that article in the gallery below. Aside from the wire-wheel conversion, steering wheel and K&N’s, the car has changed little since.
The car then passed through a couple of further owners – one who which carried out the rather expensive wheel conversion and the other further improved the car with the changes to the stereo, the air cleaners and the steering wheel.
Finished in its original colour, the XJ6 was repainted around 5 years ago and the paintwork still looks very good today with very few marks or blemishes and just a few signs of very small blisters starting to appear on the lower wings. The bodywork is very straight, with no obvious damage and the shut lines and panel alignments are factory quality. All the chromework is very good and original with some minor pitting but is undamaged
The 15-inch wire wheels are pretty new and so are still immaculate and are fitted with a nice set of classic Blockley tyres with an authentic period tread pattern and in good order.
The fabulous-looking original interior is trimmed in the standard combination of leather and vinyl - black around the dash and blue elsewhere. The seats are upholstered in blue Connolly leather - perforated and pleated on the facings - and are very comfortable and present very well with just the expected level of light creasing on the front seats. The wood veneer across the dash fascia has some patination but presents well as do the wooden door cappings. All instruments and electrical items work as expected. The original large diameter steering wheel has been replaced with a classic wood rim mota lita style wheel though the original wheel with horn bar is included.
There is a modern retro style stereo fitted which has Bluetooth connectivity. It is connected to modern retro-look speakers fitted into the door cards. Again the original is included.
The original blue carpeting is still in nice condition and the headlining has been replaced recently in the correct authentic material.
Tipping forward the front-hinged bonnet, the engine bay appears tidy and honest with no obvious artificial titivation save for a repainted alternator. Its look like it may have been waxoiled in the past . The 4.2-litre straight six is fed by twin SU carbs and it starts well (the car has a manual choke conversion) and runs very smoothly, idling at 750-850 rpm with good oil pressure.
Underneath the car, much of the chassis, suspension and running gear has been coated in a protective black paint - which not only looks good but will prevent premature corrosion. The car has clearly been kept properly garaged when not in use to maintain this level of condition underneath and doesn’t appear to have ever been stripped down or restored.
The car’s previous MoT expired in January 2021 (the car is registered as an historic so is MOT and tax exempt) but we have put a new (advisory free) MOT on the car. ** MOT HISTORY - It seems the recent MoT has been entered onto the DVLA system using a truncated VIN number which has lost the link to the history if you look at the registration number on the .gov site. The documents section shows some of the MoT's that are on file.**
There’s a sheaf of paperwork that comes with the car including various invoices and receipts for parts and maintenance work done including some from its time in Ireland.
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