DAIMLER DOUBLE SIX VANDEN PLAS
Discussion
This car came into me originally for an inspection from a chap in Holland who wants to keep a nice classic in the UK. He ended up buying it, mainly because it is virtually rust free, and we sorted it for a wee Highland trip for him and his gracious old mum before the winter sets in.
It's years since I've worked on one of these and it turns out there are only around ten left in the UK. I'd forgotten how utterly superb they are to drive. We had to rebuild the rear suspension, sort out the exhaust and steering and strip down the manifolds and carbs as there were air leaks everywhere, but it was well worth the effort.
The big V12 is just a turbine and the kickdown produces effortless overtaking power with no drama. For me the best part is the superb Vanden Plas interior based on the Series 1 dash.
Enjoy :-
Beautiful autumn morning pic.
Imposing Daimler grill
Curly tail pipes and bags of glass
The badge says it all!
Great poise and sleek lines
Straight as the day it was new
Now this is what I call an interior, a wonderful place to be
Who remembers 8 tracks? Standard on the Daimler and a great sound.
Wonderful cockpit - to hell with ergonomics when it looks this good!
One of the best views and surely the best colour available only on the Vanden Plas.
Ready for a trip to the Highlands.
J
It's years since I've worked on one of these and it turns out there are only around ten left in the UK. I'd forgotten how utterly superb they are to drive. We had to rebuild the rear suspension, sort out the exhaust and steering and strip down the manifolds and carbs as there were air leaks everywhere, but it was well worth the effort.
The big V12 is just a turbine and the kickdown produces effortless overtaking power with no drama. For me the best part is the superb Vanden Plas interior based on the Series 1 dash.
Enjoy :-
Beautiful autumn morning pic.
Imposing Daimler grill
Curly tail pipes and bags of glass
The badge says it all!
Great poise and sleek lines
Straight as the day it was new
Now this is what I call an interior, a wonderful place to be
Who remembers 8 tracks? Standard on the Daimler and a great sound.
Wonderful cockpit - to hell with ergonomics when it looks this good!
One of the best views and surely the best colour available only on the Vanden Plas.
Ready for a trip to the Highlands.
J
mph said:
I'm thinking that an S1 XJ may be a worthwhile purchase as they're great cars and decent ones are thin on the ground now.
Not sure if I can live with the V12 fuel consumption though.
You are absolutely spot on about the fuel consumption mph. The problem of course is running a V12 engine of this size on Stromberg carbs. But this car will only get occasional use in fair weather, so it's not really a substantial problem.Not sure if I can live with the V12 fuel consumption though.
The V12 engine is an absolute stonker though, and the one to go for if you want a Series 1. I personally prefer the Jag because most of them were short wheelbase and the handling was tremendous, particularly in that era.
Great story: the buyer phoned me late Friday from Fort William to say that the car was going well but he kept getting flashed by other cars and realised that the headlights were "jammed on main beam". He couldn't get them to go off. I told him to look at the floor to the left of the brake pedal and see if he could spot another small pedal on the floor and push it. I actually heard the click over the phone as he did so and then he burst into laughter as he realised this was the dipswitch!
They don't make them like that any more!
J
Well I had a pleasant surprise in the form of an e mail from the owner. On the run up to Fort William he achieved 18 MPG, and on the run back down 19!!
That is outstanding for a V12 on carbs. But I think this can be explained on 3 fronts. The first is that I always encourage owners of certain classics to do a spark plug upgrade where possible to something like a platinum or iridium plug. This gives a much better spark and more power; but conversely, when cruising better economy.
The car is also running on 99 octane super unleaded. Modern fuels have better additives that help consumption. The 3rd is the car is running on modern Avon tyres. Tyre technology now is light years ahead of what it was in the early '70s, and compounds are designed in such a way that they decrease rolling friction thereby improving economy. So all these things combined with the fact that I rebuilt the carbs so there were no air leaks means an MPG figure that is a damn site easier to live with than 10 or 12!
J
That is outstanding for a V12 on carbs. But I think this can be explained on 3 fronts. The first is that I always encourage owners of certain classics to do a spark plug upgrade where possible to something like a platinum or iridium plug. This gives a much better spark and more power; but conversely, when cruising better economy.
The car is also running on 99 octane super unleaded. Modern fuels have better additives that help consumption. The 3rd is the car is running on modern Avon tyres. Tyre technology now is light years ahead of what it was in the early '70s, and compounds are designed in such a way that they decrease rolling friction thereby improving economy. So all these things combined with the fact that I rebuilt the carbs so there were no air leaks means an MPG figure that is a damn site easier to live with than 10 or 12!
J
A word of warning to those of you thinking about a later car than a Series 1. I have just finished "Saving Jaguar" by John Egan. It's a terrific read, and for people like myself who actually worked on these cars in that era and before, it brings back so many memories of the events of the day; many of these distinctly unpleasant.
As the '70s wore on it became clear that BL was ruining virtually every manufacturer it touched, and especially Jaguar; John makes no bones about this in his book. The last of the Series 2 cars in '79 were the worst cars Jaguar ever produced. I have numerous accounts of utterly dismal build quality and horrendous major engine failures on cars less than a year old. John took over in 1980 and inherited this mess. All credit to him for saving the brand with an inheritance like that.
What I'm saying is, if you want an old XJ stick to the Series 1. Whilst not perfect, it was definitely the best of all the XJs, and has a certain magic about it, a real presence that the later cars just don't have. And as I'm sure we all agree, it has the best looking dash ever!
J
As the '70s wore on it became clear that BL was ruining virtually every manufacturer it touched, and especially Jaguar; John makes no bones about this in his book. The last of the Series 2 cars in '79 were the worst cars Jaguar ever produced. I have numerous accounts of utterly dismal build quality and horrendous major engine failures on cars less than a year old. John took over in 1980 and inherited this mess. All credit to him for saving the brand with an inheritance like that.
What I'm saying is, if you want an old XJ stick to the Series 1. Whilst not perfect, it was definitely the best of all the XJs, and has a certain magic about it, a real presence that the later cars just don't have. And as I'm sure we all agree, it has the best looking dash ever!
J
mph said:
mph said:
I'm thinking that an S1 XJ may be a worthwhile purchase as they're great cars and decent ones are thin on the ground now.
Not sure if I can live with the V12 fuel consumption though.
Obviously I now think I can - as I've bought one !Not sure if I can live with the V12 fuel consumption though.
It's a Daimler Double Six Vanden Plas. One owner, 29k miles , colour is caramel with beige leather.
J
Big Pants said:
Hamish Finn said:
eldar said:
Hamish Finn said:
eldar said:
Tiny tyres, by today's standards, 205/70 x 15.
What?By the standards of the day, the tyres were state of the art. Dunlop worked with Jaguar to announce their new tyre as the new XJ6 was announced in 1968. State of the art, big, wide, beefy tyres for the new Jag.
Have you seen how narrow tyres were in the 1950s? And before that? Do you understand what the term "classic car" means?
Nobody's trying to pick a fight. Be nice.
Hamish is dead right about the tyres. Jaguar and Dunlop worked together to develop the SP Sport with its patented "Aquajet" tread; a brilliantly clever design that guaranteed the best wet grip of any tyre at that time by literally squirting water sideways from tiny tubes built in between the tread blocks.
I remember the first XJ6 arriving at our local dealer in Paisley.
I was collecting my mum from her office in my 3.8 E Type FHC, my daily driver then, (those really were the days!), and I stopped dead outside the showroom when I saw this car. My mum and I went into the showroom to talk to the salesman who I knew well. The first thing that hit you right in the face about the car was the tyres. Hamish's point is well made that in their day there was nothing like them: they were huge by comparison and were the first low profile tyres on the market. They were sized as ER70/VR15, not 205, but the actual width was a 205 equivalent.
The first time I drove one I couldn't believe the handling, but of course the first were all short wheel base. The VPs however are all long wheelbase, clearly to give more rear seat room for m'lord in the back!
VS, you have me kinda puzzled with your reference to flexy sections on your front pipes. The V12 doesn't have these, only the 6 cylinder cars. I am certain that a Series 2 V12 system will fit an S1 long wheelbase with only slight modification to the mountings, and is actually a better system as it has flange joints instead of sleeves giving you far better adjustment for alignment. The bonus is that the S2 systems are available from stock.
AED = Automatic Enrichment Device = crap!!
Someone said to me the other day, I think it was number 2 son, you have so many stories from the past about Jaguars you should write a book, and after reading John Egan's it occurred to me that I have over 40 years of stories and should seriously think about doing that. Would any of you buy it, that is the question?
J
mph said:
jith said:
I am certain that a Series 2 V12 system will fit an S1 long wheelbase with only slight modification to the mountings, and is actually a better system as it has flange joints instead of sleeves giving you far better adjustment for alignment. The bonus is that the S2 systems are available from stock.
AED = Automatic Enrichment Device = crap!!
J
Any idea who stocks the S2 V12 systems, I'm still struggling to find one ? Barrett's list them but then when you go to the individual components they're not available.AED = Automatic Enrichment Device = crap!!
J
http://www.scparts.co.uk/sc_en/british-cars/jaguar...
J
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