It pains me to do this, but personal circumstances dictate that I must sell my 1986 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Sovereign. This is one of the last of the straight-six, beautifully styled Series 3 cars.
It’s not perfect, but I’d be surprised if you can find better for the money. I’ve poured money and tears into this over the last 5 years, initially daily driving it for almost 12 months before carrying out a mini-restoration.
The car itself has covered just over 93k miles and comes with a great history. The original leather folder contains a pile of bumf, which is all in beautiful condition: driver’s handbook, dealer map, guarantee certificates, electric data chart, maintenance handbook and service record are all in place. There are 20 stamps in the service record, being the same main dealer until 2003 and then a specialist, with ludicrously small gaps between each service for much of its life.
It has only four previous owners. The owner before me lived in the south east and bought the very best example he could find to use as his daily driver for several years. Look at the MoT history and you will see that it has been regularly used from 2012 until my ownership.
In 2020 I made the decision to have all the frilly bits of rust addressed before they got too bad, and a few bits of paint wherever necessary. This escalated into a full paint in its original colour. A pinstripe in the proper colour was impossible to find and so I had them custom made – they must be some of the most expensive stickers in history! The front screen was cracked and there was some rust in the scuttle, so a new windscreen was fitted (correct tint) with new rubbers and all rust cut out and replaced. Other areas of repair were more localised, and it has always been structurally sound. There was some less serious bubbling around one corner of the rear screen, which at the time was treated and painted.
Just after I got the car park from paint we had what I will politely refer to as a mishap, which resulted in a seized engine. At this point I cried into my coffee for almost 12 months before making the decision to source and have fitted a correct, late fuel injection, high compression, low-mileage engine, which runs a treat. I have since covered almost 1000 miles and it’s been lovely and smooth with good oil pressure from cold and once up to temperature.
Unfortunately, while broken and in the bad books the paintwork picked up various marks, bumps and chips, but it still looks absolutely stunning. You won’t go winning any concours trophies, but you could revel in driving it to any show and be very proud indeed. Some photos were taken this week, others are from the last month or so. The gloomy autumnal ones are the most recent, but as the sun transforms the colour of the car I’ve included some more summery ones as, I think, it looks spectacular.
Other relevant receipts from recent years include: 2017, ARB drop links, steering column UJs greased, service etc; 2016, Service; 2015 @ 85k miles, complete new exhaust system from downpipes back – almost £1000; 2013, Service, 4x upper wishbone bushes, 2x upper and 2x lower ball joints, 4-wheel alignment - £1100; very early V5 document and a pile of tax discs.
It drives beautifully. The ride is cossetting, the cabin quiet and yet it handles surprisingly well. The brakes are sharp, the heater toasty and it floats down the road without a single knock, wobble or vibration. All electrics work, including each window, with the exception of the electric aerial. This can be pulled up manually to enable good radio reception. The cruise control hasn’t worked with the replacement engine – I assume this is a vacuum issue.
The interior is in very good condition and does not leak. Doors all fit well and rubbers and felt finishers are all in very, very good condition without being hard and brittle. Some of the wood veneer is lifting in places, as you’ll see from the photos, as this was to be my final job on the car along with a wheel refurbish. The original pepperpot alloy wheels are shod in ludicrously expensive period-style Dunlop SP Sport rubber. The headlining must have also been replaced in the not too distant past as, although not perfect, it is one of the least saggy of any Jaguar I’ve sat in.
Fitted with the iconic two fuel tanks, even the switch-over valve works, which is apparently rare.
Sorry for waffling, but I could talk all day about this car. Please let’s make this a painless sale as I will be genuinely gutted to see it go.
I would consider a cheaper part-exchange if it helps to secure a sale.
It’s not perfect, but I’d be surprised if you can find better for the money. I’ve poured money and tears into this over the last 5 years, initially daily driving it for almost 12 months before carrying out a mini-restoration.
The car itself has covered just over 93k miles and comes with a great history. The original leather folder contains a pile of bumf, which is all in beautiful condition: driver’s handbook, dealer map, guarantee certificates, electric data chart, maintenance handbook and service record are all in place. There are 20 stamps in the service record, being the same main dealer until 2003 and then a specialist, with ludicrously small gaps between each service for much of its life.
It has only four previous owners. The owner before me lived in the south east and bought the very best example he could find to use as his daily driver for several years. Look at the MoT history and you will see that it has been regularly used from 2012 until my ownership.
In 2020 I made the decision to have all the frilly bits of rust addressed before they got too bad, and a few bits of paint wherever necessary. This escalated into a full paint in its original colour. A pinstripe in the proper colour was impossible to find and so I had them custom made – they must be some of the most expensive stickers in history! The front screen was cracked and there was some rust in the scuttle, so a new windscreen was fitted (correct tint) with new rubbers and all rust cut out and replaced. Other areas of repair were more localised, and it has always been structurally sound. There was some less serious bubbling around one corner of the rear screen, which at the time was treated and painted.
Just after I got the car park from paint we had what I will politely refer to as a mishap, which resulted in a seized engine. At this point I cried into my coffee for almost 12 months before making the decision to source and have fitted a correct, late fuel injection, high compression, low-mileage engine, which runs a treat. I have since covered almost 1000 miles and it’s been lovely and smooth with good oil pressure from cold and once up to temperature.
Unfortunately, while broken and in the bad books the paintwork picked up various marks, bumps and chips, but it still looks absolutely stunning. You won’t go winning any concours trophies, but you could revel in driving it to any show and be very proud indeed. Some photos were taken this week, others are from the last month or so. The gloomy autumnal ones are the most recent, but as the sun transforms the colour of the car I’ve included some more summery ones as, I think, it looks spectacular.
Other relevant receipts from recent years include: 2017, ARB drop links, steering column UJs greased, service etc; 2016, Service; 2015 @ 85k miles, complete new exhaust system from downpipes back – almost £1000; 2013, Service, 4x upper wishbone bushes, 2x upper and 2x lower ball joints, 4-wheel alignment - £1100; very early V5 document and a pile of tax discs.
It drives beautifully. The ride is cossetting, the cabin quiet and yet it handles surprisingly well. The brakes are sharp, the heater toasty and it floats down the road without a single knock, wobble or vibration. All electrics work, including each window, with the exception of the electric aerial. This can be pulled up manually to enable good radio reception. The cruise control hasn’t worked with the replacement engine – I assume this is a vacuum issue.
The interior is in very good condition and does not leak. Doors all fit well and rubbers and felt finishers are all in very, very good condition without being hard and brittle. Some of the wood veneer is lifting in places, as you’ll see from the photos, as this was to be my final job on the car along with a wheel refurbish. The original pepperpot alloy wheels are shod in ludicrously expensive period-style Dunlop SP Sport rubber. The headlining must have also been replaced in the not too distant past as, although not perfect, it is one of the least saggy of any Jaguar I’ve sat in.
Fitted with the iconic two fuel tanks, even the switch-over valve works, which is apparently rare.
Sorry for waffling, but I could talk all day about this car. Please let’s make this a painless sale as I will be genuinely gutted to see it go.
I would consider a cheaper part-exchange if it helps to secure a sale.
