RE: Spotted: Jaguar XJ-C

[rtz62]

I had a female 'friend' (ahem) at school circa 1977ish who had a silver 5.3C (red cloth i terior iirc) and a Pontiac Firebird complete with the bonnet decals at the same time. Her mum ran a TR7 at that time (no accounting for taste!)
The 5.3C was a beaut of a car, with real style and class especially as at ragtime my dad was running either a Ford Consul GT or a Ford Granada.....
Always wanted One of these but never dared (rot and more rot..)

[Baz Tench]

carinaman said:

Steed's Jag has lost cool points with me. I never noticed the sunroof before. I didn't realise the old XK could make NASCAR type noises.

That episode was called three handed game. I think she may have needed more than three hands to help her get into that outfit. The weather looked as bad in that piece as our July has been.

What was the red car on the left as Steed hammered it up the pitlane? A Victor FE? Another Jag?

I overtook one of these on the motorway recently. Lovely sight! The XK engine sounded wonderful when you gave it some stick. My dad had a manual mk2 3.8 Jaguar back in the early 80's (when they were going for shed money) and I absolutely fell in love with it. That sound!

Not too dissimilar to the BMW S52/S54

[Baz Tench]

Sorry for double post, but the red car in the clip is a series 1 XJ6 by the looks of it....

[carinaman]

RESSE said:

Series 1 XJ6 (1968-1973) - I don't think it is a Damiler Sovereign Series 1 (intr. 1969)?

I think you could be right. Thank you.

I'd agree Baz_Tench, I had to full screen and pause. The difference in heights of the top of the wheelarches, the lights and glasshouse look that way.

[loose cannon]

In my top ten most wanted I love xj series 1 to 3 the coupe is just the icing on the cake, though it would be a tough choice between a late 1993 Double six series 3 or a nice coupe but either would have to have Kent alloys, don't think I have ever gone a week without looking on classifieds for them since I was about 14 Lol had a xj12 when I was 20 bit of a wreck though, and a Daimler sovereign when I was 25, followed by an xj40 gold which was never the same but I got it for a steal as a trade in and it was very tidy, so px'd for my Griffith which was handy

[Baz Tench]

carinaman said:

RESSE said:

Series 1 XJ6 (1968-1973) - I don't think it is a Damiler Sovereign Series 1 (intr. 1969)?

I think you could be right. Thank you.

I'd agree Baz_Tench, I had to full screen and pause. The difference in heights of the top of the wheelarches, the lights and glasshouse look that way.

The series 1's had a large front grill too. It was steadily reduced in size on both the series 2 and 3..

[Piersman2]

I had one of these a few years back.

Bought it as a part runner for £3250 and spent a few months tinkering and getting it good enough for everyday use to commute between Reading and Kingston.

Lovely things, but very low geared compared to modern cars, 85-90 on the motorways really was as fast as you wanted to be going. Flip side of that of course was just how quick it was off the line for a 30 year old car.

Eventually sold it to a guy from Ireland for £4000 and replaced it with a 1998 XJR to make the daily commute more comfortable.

I would consider another one like a shot if I had the space, it really was something special to be driving around in whilst surrounded by anonymous modern boxes each morning.

[carinaman]

I was unaware of the whole series of Jaguar Chubb Silverstone fire tenders. Perhaps the red car Steed zooms past was the real version of this:

http://diecastbox.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/vanguards...

[loose cannon]

Yes that's right also the front bumper sits very low on s1 cars and moves up to the centreline on s2 cars, s1 cars also had dials and switches in the center part of the dash more like an e type layout, there were long and short wheelbases for s1 and s2 cars but not the s3 as far as I'm aware, the s3 had a bigger glass area plusher interior, different door handles rubber bumpers different rear lights.fuel injection on the straight six redesigned by pininfarina I believe
The s3 six cylinder finished in 1986 to make way for the xj40 but the s3 carried on in v12 guise until 1993 love um to bits

[bamberwell]

carinaman said:

Who needs the new Hunt V Lauda film by Richie Cunningham when they can have this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_Bz_OHhxg

that is absolutely fantastic!! shows nicely how much silverstone has changed in the last few years....

[grumpy52]

carinaman said:

I was unaware of the whole series of Jaguar Chubb Silverstone fire tenders. Perhaps the red car Steed zooms past was the real version of this:

http://diecastbox.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/vanguards...

one was the worlds fastest fire tender.it was with richard noble when he set land speed records. if memory serves me right they put the tender down the track and reached about 150mph.
When it returned to the Uk it went to silverstone

[artdealer]

carinaman said:

It was Steed's in the New Avengers, I think it had the Broadspeed racing arches on it.

A picture of a bowler and a New Avenger:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qyhZ9_eXCHM/SiyBm5gc2mI/...

Before Joanna Lumley was famous for rehousing Gurkhas.

Wasn't Steed's Jag some kind of Walkinshaw Touring car replica? I loved it when I was a 14y/o and wanted one.

All these cars used to live on the private estate adjoining the farm we lived on.

[artdealer]

carinaman said:

Who needs the new Hunt V Lauda film by Richie Cunningham when they can have this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l_Bz_OHhxg

Thank-you. I bloody loved The Avengers, all eras.

[Rumblestripe]

The inner anorak in me needs to tell you that they all had vinyl roofs because the factory couldn't get them straight/stable enough for paint!

Not sure if this is urban myth but it is true that there were none without the vinyl roof!

I have soft spot for pillarless "coops" and this oddball is just lovely.

[The Leaper]

I remember seeing that episode when first aired. Two things that made it memorable: the car, of course, and guess the other..

I have a Jaguar S-Type 4.2 V8 now in BRG: gotta get some Broadspeed replicas fitted some time!

R.

[macdeb]

Rumblestripe said:

The inner anorak in me needs to tell you that they all had vinyl roofs because the factory couldn't get them straight/stable enough for paint!

Not sure if this is urban myth but it is true that there were none without the vinyl roof!

I have soft spot for pillarless "coops" and this oddball is just lovely.

on all counts.

[tortop45]

Yes your right about the vinyl roofs all the coupes had them from the factory,some owners have removed them now ,i think thats what makes them,very 70s.Ive got a manual double six coupe which the factory should have built but didn,t,its just so good !!!!!!!!!!

[Peakybillington]

marvellous find

very very tempted

[sjt959]

Lovely, wish I still had my one. 21 with one of these in the mid 80's, thought I was the bees knees when mates had a selection of old Fords and Vauxhalls.

[Sortie 10]

About 3 weeks ago, Forza West in Chepstow had an XJ5.3C that was looking a touch tired but still brutally elegant (seems a contradiction) but when I say that it sported full Broadspeed kit (airdam, extended wheel arches, rear spoiler) the cognoscenti will understand where I'm coming from.