Old Flames – Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Series 1

Whilst being fashionably ‘teased’ by Jaguar over the impending launch of the new XJ saloon and fretting over how good the car will have to be to usurp the German class-rulers let us cast our minds back to 1968.

That is when Jaguar launched the Series 1 XJ6 which was the finest luxury saloon car in the world period. No arguments or counter-points. This was the best car that Jaguar had ever produced and the world went all slack-jawed over the car’s looks, performance, ride dynamics and affordability.

Its feline shape was about as close as Jaguar’s designers, under the strict captaincy of Bill Lyons, could get to the famous ‘leaping-cat’ profile and it looked gorgeous from every angle. Judging by the teaser videos of the new car the only leaping-cat we are likely to see will be the boot-lid badge as seen on the XF.

Modernists will say this is a good thing of course and that it’s about time Jaguar moved on from its retro designs (funny how Porsche have got away with the 911 after all these years). Our money is on Jaguar returning one day to its cat-like ways because there are only so many times you can re-invent a Lexus. 

Project XJ4 as it was known back in 1963 only needed one point of reference for inspiration and it was right on its own doorstep.

During the previous four years Jaguar had launched the Mk2, Mk X, E-Type, S-Type and Daimler  V8 250 to world acclaim so the gene pool was well stocked to spawn the XJ6. Refinement was paramount and when the press finally got to test the car they eulogised over the silent, cosseting ride and more often than not hailed the car as ‘the best in the world’.

With prices starting at 1797 GBP the XJ6 was a stonking bargain too. The equivalent ‘competition’ from Merc and BMW would set you back almost twice that amount. Long waiting lists of prospective buyers soon built up and Jaguar realised it had an absolute winner on its hands.

However, industrial disputes and economic troubles in the early 70’s saw Jaguar rationalise its range of cars but the XJ has remained a key player for the company right to this very day.

Great things are expected of the X351.

If however you fancy a trip down memory lane we know of a 1970 Series 1 4.2 XJ6 that is for sale with less than 10,000 miles on the clock – that’s right less than 10k! The car is maroon with a light tan interior and is totally original having been looked after by its last owner since 1987. To find out more about this stunning XJ6 give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 or send an email to sales@thecarspy.net.

Click here for a slideshow of images.

Old Flames – The Rover P6

Anyone remember when the first European Car of The Year award was held? Well, it was 1964 and it was won by a bloody Rover! Now those who only know Rover from the past decade or so will find that quite astonishing since the latter day image of the company is far less flattering than it probably deserves as a whole. 

You see Rover used to be up there with Jaguar and when the P6 was launched in 1964 it leap-frogged the leaping cat as far as automotive technological developments were concerned.

Rover had a reputation for building decent, solid cars back then and the P5, particularly in V8 mode, was a truly desirable carriage. In fact if you are looking to purchase a decent, restored P5B Coupe you will now need deep pockets. But more of that another time.

The P6 was intoduced to complement the succesful P5 and to see off those lairy Mk2 Jags and its upwardly mobile cousin, the Triumph 2000. From a technology point of view the P6 had them all licked. Bolt-on body panels, all-round disc brakes (inboard at the rear), De Dion rear suspension, and syncromesh on all gears.

The styling represented a move away from the trad British-look of the time with its four-headlamp set-up and ‘eggbox’ grille. There was something Citroen DS-like about the way the roofline tapered towards the rear and some of the subtle design details suggested that Rover’s engineers had been quite infatuated with the French Goddess.

Passenger safety was never a high priority for designers back in the early 60’s but the P6 came along and won all sorts of awards long before Volvo became the Health and Safety kings. The P6 pioneered run-flat tyres for goodness sake!

So there you have it. The Rover P6 was a well-deserved winner of the COTY award in 1964 and that is forever inscribed in automotive history.

So what is the car like today? Well if you opt for the 3.5 litre Buick V8 engined version you get a mighty impressive car that is comfortable to drive and sounds delicious too. The cockpit is surprisingly modern particularly where the instrument dials sit. OK the steering wheel is the size of the London Eye but that is all part of the car’s period charm along with the chunky rotary dials for lighting etc.

The P6 will be remembered fondly by the Police too. In fact if there was a poll for ‘Best Police Car of All Time’ the P6 would romp home. It almost became as iconic as red Routemasters and black Taxi cabs. The goodies in the Rovers chased the baddies in their Jags and Ford Zodiacs. Life was much simpler then. No plain clothes jiggery-pokery, SWAT-teams or helicopters – just screeching tyres, revving engines and nee-naw sirens.

Trying to find nice original one today is not an easy task. The P6 could rot badly eventually and the task of restoring one can be a very expensive one. There is however a thriving owner’s club and spare parts, particularly engine bits, are still obtainable.

And so we need to tell you about a Monza Red 1974 3500 V8 that has done less than 23,000 miles and is currently up for sale. The car is completely original and has never been restored or welded and was once part of a Rover collection. If you would like further details of this totally stunning P6 give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 or send an email to sales@thecarspy.net.

In the meantime click here for a slideshow of images. 

Old Flames – The Ford Capri

Happy 40th birthday Ford Capri! ‘The car you always promised yourself’ according to Henry Ford back in 1969 has come of age so time for a little nostalgic reflection.

It is hard to grasp both the relevance and importance of the Capri’s arrival to a gobsmacked public back then. In 2009 not a day seems to pass without the announcement of yet another ‘Sports Coupe’ to add the burden of choice faced by the modern car purchaser. Back in the 1960’s, however, the car-hungry public were fed a monotonous diet of sensible, dullard four-door family saloons.

OK by the late sixties the Mini had arrived to offer a little bit of light entertainment but it was Ford that sensed the market’s desire for something a little more ‘dangerous’. Their marketing bods therefore gave us the two-door Cortina, Cortina GT and the Lotus Cortina. Spot the recurring theme?

But in 1969 the Capri was launched and it melted a million hearts. Everybody wanted one. For slightly more than the price of a Cortina the public were being offered the European interpretation of the American Dream. No other manufacturer had offered such a stylish car aimed specifically at the mass market.

Many of the car’s design cues were taken from the US Mustang with its aggressive long bonnet (totally phallic in those days), fake air intakes and sports interior. But where the Ford boys had really pulled off their master stroke was in the massive range of options that allowed the purchaser to virtually customise the car to their own specification.

Nowadays, of course, you could do the same with a Chevrolet Matiz but back then choosing from a list of options was a revelation. Metallic paint, vinyl roof, Rostyle wheels, 1.3, 1.6, 2.0 or 3.0 v6 litre engine in L, XL, GXL or GTXLR permutations left the purchaser slack-jawed and goggle-eyed.

And so the scene was set for a car that was to survive until 1987 having passed through Mk1, 2 and 3 incarnations. Yours truly had bought three of them – a 1.6XL, 1600 GT and a 3.0S in Daytona Yellow.

The Capri’s demise, however, seemed like a funeral that nobody had bothered to turn up to. The car had been a real victim of its own success and there were just too many of them. The car was no longer special in the mid-eighties and a more affluent society moved its affections to anything with the letters B, M and W in its name.

In spite of the Capri’s all-round ability on the road and the track – Jochen Mass won the 1972 European Touring Car Championship in one – the car was no longer to be further developed by Ford who by now was playing with Cosworth and turning its Sierra into a dragon-slayer.

The Capri will be remembered fondly as a star in The Professionals and of course as the car that Del Boy had always promised himself in Only Fools and Horses. Sadly that was the knife in the back as far as the street cred was concerned. 

But the very last cars are interesting to the point where especially in 2.8i guise they are comfortable, fun to drive, pretty to look at and the ‘Del Boy’ image seems to have all but disappeared. Many of the 1.8 million built have either been crashed or left to rot so there aren’t many good examples left. Ergo values are increasing.

The 2.8 litre fuel-injected V6 produces 160 bhp which doesn’t sound impressive at all by today’s standards. But packaged with a rear-wheel drive chassis and no traction control you can see why stunt drivers used them with such rubber-burning visual effect in the cops and robbers TV programmes of the 70’s and 80’s.

If you can find the limited-edition Tickford version then snap it up quickly because it is believed that less than 100 examples were sold. The Tickford Capri was a highly modifed version of the 2.8 and was fitted with a turbocharger to boost the output to 205 bhp. Laden with luxury extras such as leather trim and Wilton carpets the car came with an excessive price tag that virtually priced it out of the market. The modified bodykit also made the car look a little bit lardy.

Today, however, we know of an extraordinary original 1987 2.8i Capri in black that has covered only 19,000 miles from new with one owner! The service book is fully stamped and every MOT certificate is available. Give us a call on ++44 1474 854490 for further details.

In the meantime click here for a slideshow of images.

Old Flames – The Triumph Stag

As cars go the Triumph Stag is a bit of an enigma. By rights it should have been consigned to the dustbin at British Leyland labelled ‘Failed Projects’ by the time the first engine blew up. But here we are 40 years later talking about a car that seems to get more desirable as the decades roll by. The problematical early days are well-documented but no longer seem to matter. It is believed that up to 9000 examples out of the original 25k made are still on the road today and after MG the Stag has one of the most active owner’s clubs around. 

So how could such a problem-child turn into a classic icon?

Just park one up in the street, stand back and watch. Wager a bet with your mate that nobody will be able to pass the car without even a slight sideways glance. Giovanni Michelotti created a masterpiece. He was a bosom pal of Triumph’s boss, Harry Webster, and he was responsible for most of the company’s designs during their heyday. The Stag was his best effort and today it looks stunning.

Although the engine is the bit that most negative commentators tend to focus their attention on it is also one of the best bits. It is true of course that BL should have taken more care in its development but that doesn’t mean it is anything like an old nail. Just check the coolant regularly and change the oil every 3000 miles. There are plenty of original V8’s that have never been rebuilt so don’t believe all of the scare stories. We should know – we ran one for two years without any issues. RMK 922R where are you now?

So why is it also one of the best bits? Well, stroll back to your parked-up Stag and fire it up. The kids will drop their bikes and run up to the car begging you to give it some throttle. The noise gives you goosebumps. The tight bass-line ‘woofle’ of the V8 sounds like it was built yesterday. If you were wearing a blindfold you would never guess the car you were listening to was built in the 1970’s and the aural sensory pleasure it gives will make you want to drive the car all day with the roof down while looking for tunnels.

If BL had not skimped on important design and build issues then this V8 could have been an all-time great and it is without a doubt a perfect compliment to the super-smooth looking Stag. Forget all of the Rover V8, Ford V6 and 2.5 six-cylinder conversions - they are naff. The engines are all fine of course but the Stag’s chassis, suspension and brakes are set-up for its own V8 so weight distribution is perfectly balanced. Converted Stags are cheap for good reason so buyer beware.

The basic design was so good that the car needs very few modifications to make it a perfectly useable every day car. How about this for a specification? Front disc brakes, fully independent suspension with MacPherson struts up front, power assisted brakes, power steering, electric windows, front headrests, optional aircon, a choice of Borg-Warner automatic or 4-speed manual gearbox with overdrive and alloy wheels came as standard on the Mk2.

Over the years most owners have opted to switch to electronic ignition, polyurethane bushes and larger capacity radiators with electric fans to aid cooling. Many have installed new hoods, leather interiors and walnut veneer dashboards which only add to the car’s appeal. Don’t be tempted to fit low profile tyres though because the ride will suffer and gearing will be affected adversely.

A properly cared-for Stag should be an absolute joy to drive. Although a sprited set of performance figures are on offer – 145bhp, 0-60mph in less than 9 seconds and a top speed close to 120 – the Stag is a comfortable cruiser and a four-seater convertible to boot! The hood folds away neatly and completely under a hide-away cover and the clever ‘T-bar’ support ensures that the car remains tight with little noticeable scuttle shake. As with any classic you tend to get what you pay for and well-sorted examples fetch the best prices.

Stag’s seem to have a bit of a reputation in the film industry too because ever since the car was launched it has been a firm favourite with film producers to this very day. Diamonds Are Forever, Straw Dogs, Randall and Hopkirk, Murphy’s Law, Hazell, Second Sight, Dracula AD 1972, Carry on Emmannuelle, New Tricks and more recently on Ladytron’s ‘Ghosts’ video. Not all timeless classics granted but it just goes to show the effect of the Stag’s ‘cool car’ status.

OK, so now you want to buy one we know of a stunning, restored, two owner Pimento Red example showing only 23,000 recorded miles which even comes with the original dealer pack and ‘Passport’ to Service’ book. Click here for a Slideshow of images. Give us a call on 0845 643 2047 to find out more.

1988 Mercedes Benz 420 SEL

Was this the best S-Class ever? Well if the ruling classes were setting the benchmark in the 80’s then the answer is a definite ‘yes’. Dignitaries and high-ranking politicians the world-over chose the W126 as their mode of transport by default. Sitting in the back seat it is easy to see why. Even today the way the car simply glides over the road suggests it is riding on a cushion of air. This particular 1988 SEL which is being sold on behalf of the owner has had a mint spent on it since 2004. The interior has had a complete re-fit with its re-upholstered seats, fresh carpets and interior trim. Externally the car benefits from good quality paintwork, new trim and refurbished wheels – all told a whopping £18,000 has been spent over the last few years which says something for the enthusiasm and commitment of the previous owners. Even with 158k on the clock the engine starts on the button and pulls like the Orient Express. Travel in first-class style and comfort with the rear blinds pulled, feet on the foot-rest and rear seats reclined  – and all this for £6000! Click here for more details.

Pretty Purrfect!

The Series III XJ seems to have it all. It’s a real Jaguar that perhaps forever will symbolise the ’space, pace and grace’ principles of Sir William Lyons. The beautiful flowing lines of car design that have made Jaguar so unique and admired the world over.

When the XJ40 appeared in 1986 with its awkward angular looks it seemed that Jaguar had decided that square shoulder pads were the future - to be fair ’Dynasty’ was the hit TV series at the time. Although why the Jag design team thought that large glass bricks placed either side of the iconic chrome grille would appear more attractive than the traditional round headlights is a tad mysterious. At least they made a welcome comeback on the X300.