1985 Jaguar XJ6--SOLD (Florida) - $0
1985 Jaguar XJ6 Series III Sedan For Sale or Trade
Just under 35,000 miles on this survivor finished in white with the classic British biscuit leather interior. This car was sold new at Main Auto Sales in Madison, NJ. In 1987, the original owner sold it to the present owner, a neighbor in Short Hills. The second owner was an executive with the New York Stock Exchange and he bought the car as his "Sunday golf car" and the car was used solely for that purpose for the rest of his life. His widow has kept the car ever since, and moved it to New England when she retired to the area, and recently decided it was time to pass the car onto to another enthusiast. Original plug wires in trunk. AC motor works, but currently not blowing cold air--likely just needs a recharge since long time owner did not use AC while driving in summertime.
Hemmings recently reported: "The superb Series III XJ6, considered the last of company founder Sir William Lyons's cars, became Jaguar's salvation and crowning achievement in the 1980s, and today remains a sparkling everyday-driveable collector car...The XJ6 was hailed as a world-beater when it appeared in 1968, bearing the heavy burden of replacing all of Jaguar's four-door sedans--the 340, 420 and 420G--at once. When it arrived in America for 1969 with the E-Type's healthy 4.2-liter straight-six engine, a four-wheel independent suspension and sinewy good looks, the XJ6 was an instant hit....Arriving in mid-1979 as a 1980 model, the $25,000 Series III was the most refined XJ to date. The car's hugely stiff unit body incorporated a central platform with bracing from the sills, transmission tunnel and tall front/rear firewalls, two low transverse box-section crossmembers and bonded-in front and rear windshields. Rust-proofing and painting technology would improve through production, and by 1982, all XJ6s received a phosphate pre-treatment, electro-primer, adhesion promoter and four coats of thermo-plastic acrylic paint; they also had wax injected into their body cavities and undersealing. That well-finished body sported a redesign, courtesy of Italy's Carrozzeria Pininfarina. This was the first time that a Jaguar was styled with input from outside the company, and the new sedans looked crisp and modern with their steeper windshield, increased greenhouse glass area without front vent windows, vertical bar grille, flush door handles and integrated taillamp design. A useful increase in rear headroom was afforded by a flatter rear roofline, and front seat occupants sat in more comfortable, taller seats with adjustable lumbar support, facing a further upgraded instrument panel with a new center console between them. Comprehensive sound insulation created a luxuriously quiet interior, helped by standard use of a 2.88 differential that dented the acceleration slightly but benefited cruising refinement and fuel economy.
Befitting this upscale car's upscale price tag was its long list of standard equipment; among them were a telescoping steering column, a power sunroof, power windows, mirrors and antenna, a central locking system, automatic climate control air conditioning with separate rear seat controls, a four-speaker AM/FM cassette stereo, deep pile carpeting, matched wood veneer décor, leather upholstery, cruise control and a comprehensive tool kit. The 10-cubic-foot, fully upholstered illuminated trunk had a bumper-height opening for ease of loading.
The legendary iron block, aluminum head dual overhead-cam six-cylinder XK engine was carried over from Series II duty, and used the Lucas/Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection and electronic ignition introduced first on late Series II U.S. models. Displacing 4,235cc via a 92.1 x 106mm bore and stroke, the seven-main-bearing unit had an 8.1:1 compression ratio and made a smooth 176hp at 4,750 RPM and 219-lbs.ft. of torque at 2,500 RPM; it was mated exclusively to a Borg-Warner three-speed automatic gearbox, though a five-speed manual was introduced in other markets and can be retrofitted. Hidden behind 15 x 6-inch alloy wheels mounting Pirelli P5 tires were power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes--the rears mounted inboard for lowered unsprung mass and improved ride.
