My 1989 Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas (aka Daimler Double Six)
Discussion
Hi folks,
This is my 1989 Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas (it is a Canadian model, basically it has all the options of a Daimler Double Six, but without the fluted grill and boot escutcheon.
A friend and I rescued the car from a barn in late 2007, the original owner had fallen ill and left the car with his mechanic. The car had been sitting for several years, but the body was remarkably rust-free, with only a patch of rust in the rear wings. With a fresh battery and draining the fuel tanks, the car started and ran fine, and made its way back to my friends garage 30 miles away. The mileage when purchased from the barn was only 55,000kms (ie around 32,000 miles).
The car was in basically good condition with entirely new leather upholstery which had been done by previous owner to tune of 4000 pounds.
Nevertheless, my friend decided to undertake a full restoration of the car. Stripping the paint to bare metal, rebuilding all of the engine components, removing all the glass (replacing it with new glass), and giving it 15 coats of its original Tungsten. The interior was Savile Grey, and a New old stock interior finished in Savile Grey with Mulberry Piping was soon located in Florida. While the car started out with boring colours, I think the Mulberry piping really brings out some character for what I would call an otherwise dull colour combination.
The headliner was redone, and so were the carpets. New shock absorbers were installed, and my friend overhauled the brakes as well! The transmission is the GM THM400, but as it had been sitting for a while, the transmission started failing in the higher gears when driven. In total, over 40,000 was spent on the car. Even a new air conditioning system was fitted. The car being Canadian specification was originally fitted with four catalytic converters, a European exhaust system without cats was located, and fitted, with the result being more power and noise. An XJS sports wheel was fitted for more enthusiastic driving. The rear brakes which involve dropping the rear end were also replaced. The seatbelts were originally black, but as they were a little worn, it was decided that XJ40 type belts in matching grey would be wound on to Series 3 retractors.
My friend had gotten into some new business ventures, and wanting to free up some cash, he sold me the car in 2008 on the promise that I would one day sell it back to him. Well... I recently sold it back to him, and I must say it was a bit heartbreaking to see the car go.
MP
ps:these are mostly post-restoration photos, except the photos of the engine on a stand.
i dare to drive this car in the snow too!
my humble garage full of Jaguar/Daimler love!!
This is my 1989 Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas (it is a Canadian model, basically it has all the options of a Daimler Double Six, but without the fluted grill and boot escutcheon.
A friend and I rescued the car from a barn in late 2007, the original owner had fallen ill and left the car with his mechanic. The car had been sitting for several years, but the body was remarkably rust-free, with only a patch of rust in the rear wings. With a fresh battery and draining the fuel tanks, the car started and ran fine, and made its way back to my friends garage 30 miles away. The mileage when purchased from the barn was only 55,000kms (ie around 32,000 miles).
The car was in basically good condition with entirely new leather upholstery which had been done by previous owner to tune of 4000 pounds.
Nevertheless, my friend decided to undertake a full restoration of the car. Stripping the paint to bare metal, rebuilding all of the engine components, removing all the glass (replacing it with new glass), and giving it 15 coats of its original Tungsten. The interior was Savile Grey, and a New old stock interior finished in Savile Grey with Mulberry Piping was soon located in Florida. While the car started out with boring colours, I think the Mulberry piping really brings out some character for what I would call an otherwise dull colour combination.
The headliner was redone, and so were the carpets. New shock absorbers were installed, and my friend overhauled the brakes as well! The transmission is the GM THM400, but as it had been sitting for a while, the transmission started failing in the higher gears when driven. In total, over 40,000 was spent on the car. Even a new air conditioning system was fitted. The car being Canadian specification was originally fitted with four catalytic converters, a European exhaust system without cats was located, and fitted, with the result being more power and noise. An XJS sports wheel was fitted for more enthusiastic driving. The rear brakes which involve dropping the rear end were also replaced. The seatbelts were originally black, but as they were a little worn, it was decided that XJ40 type belts in matching grey would be wound on to Series 3 retractors.
My friend had gotten into some new business ventures, and wanting to free up some cash, he sold me the car in 2008 on the promise that I would one day sell it back to him. Well... I recently sold it back to him, and I must say it was a bit heartbreaking to see the car go.
MP
ps:these are mostly post-restoration photos, except the photos of the engine on a stand.
i dare to drive this car in the snow too!
my humble garage full of Jaguar/Daimler love!!
Edited by MPoon on Thursday 10th February 23:22
Edited by MPoon on Friday 11th February 00:12
yes, i love v12's :-)
Aside from the in town fuel mileage of 9mpg... I do manage 25mpg on the motorway which suits me just fine.
having said that though.... my daily driver is not a v12, I have a 2006 XJ8 for daily driving.
I would like to try a Rolls Royce/Bentley 6.75litre V8 as a daily driver motor though.
Aside from the in town fuel mileage of 9mpg... I do manage 25mpg on the motorway which suits me just fine.
having said that though.... my daily driver is not a v12, I have a 2006 XJ8 for daily driving.
I would like to try a Rolls Royce/Bentley 6.75litre V8 as a daily driver motor though.
James Dean said:
Very nice! 
What's the difference between the Vanden Plas and the normal model?
The difference between the base XJ12 and the Vanden Plas model is that the wood trim is burl walnut of a higher grade and book matched. Also, for the rear, instead of just an ashtray in the center, passengers are also provided with a cigar lighter, and spotlight style reading lamps at each c-pillar. What's the difference between the Vanden Plas and the normal model?
The leather is also supposed to be of a higher grade and seats are different pattern (Vanden Plas style is two contoured semi-bucket seats in the rear (although my car has the standard stitch pattern seats which I found to be more comfortable than the Vanden Plas style pattern). Vanden Plas cars also have rear headrests, but because I chose to fit standard seats, this one does not have rear headrests and as a result of fitting standard seats, I have a bench rather than semi-bucket seats. Also, Vanden Plas cars have bonnet mounted windscreen washer nozzles rather than being mounted nearer to the windscreen - the reason for this is that the Canadian climate is more extreme, and with cold weather, Jaguar decided it needed heated windscreen washer nozzles, but the solution was to fit them on the bonnet and let the heat of the engine take care of the nozzles.
M
Edited by MPoon on Friday 11th February 15:18
MPoon said:
James Dean said:
Very nice!
What's the difference between the Vanden Plas and the normal model?
The difference between the base XJ12 and the Vanden Plas model is that the wood trim is burl walnut of a higher grade and book matched. Also, for the rear, instead of just an ashtray in the center, passengers are also provided with a cigar lighter, and spotlight style reading lamps at each c-pillar. What's the difference between the Vanden Plas and the normal model?
The leather is also supposed to be of a higher grade and seats are different pattern (Vanden Plas style is two contoured semi-bucket seats in the rear (although my car has the standard stitch pattern seats which I found to be more comfortable than the Vanden Plas style pattern). Vanden Plas cars also have rear headrests, but because I chose to fit standard seats, this one does not have rear headrests and as a result of fitting standard seats, I have a bench rather than semi-bucket seats. Also, Vanden Plas cars have bonnet mounted windscreen washer nozzles rather than being mounted nearer to the windscreen - the reason for this is that the Canadian climate is more extreme, and with cold weather, Jaguar decided it needed heated windscreen washer nozzles, but the solution was to fit them on the bonnet and let the heat of the engine take care of the nozzles.
M
Edited by MPoon on Friday 11th February 15:18
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