Shed of the Week: Jaguar XJ6

Single owner and spotless MOT history on this Jag, what's not to like?

Back in the 1990s, whenever Mrs Shed was driving, Shed wore a blindfold. He told Mrs Shed it was for health reasons. She assumed it was to protect his eyes from the sun, but the truth was that the sight of Mrs Shed’s enormous wobbling 424lb bulk wedged between the seat and the steering wheel made him feel physically sick.

Anyway, through blind passengering Shed developed a talent for identifying cars without seeing them. It wasn’t that hard. Before all mainstream motoring brands became the same, it was a simple matter of piecing together some simple sensory clues.

A Honda felt light and tinny, a Mercedes felt like it was carved out of a solid block of steel, and a Jaguar felt, well, Jaguary. It was the cosy space, the buttery leather, the glassy smoothness of the wood veneers, the refinement and power of the six-cylinder engines.

But most of all it was the ride. If the movie Independence Day had come out in the mid-1960s, conspiracy theorists would have claimed that Jaguar chassis engineers had gained access to advanced technology from another planet. That’s how far ahead of the game the first XJ6 of 1968 was. Shed clearly remembers Raymond Baxter of the BBC getting very excited by it on the London Motor Show preview programme. Sadly, that clip doesn’t seem to be around on the internet, but here’s a Pathe News show report instead. "A choice of two power units that push it along like a racing car or purr along smoothly for sedate driving." The syntax was wrong, but the sentiment wasn’t.

Jaguar certainly seemed to have a remarkable insight into achieving the best blend of ride comfort and road holding. Although the gap between them and the rest has narrowed somewhat since the mid-1960s, they still led the field 30 years later when this week’s rather lovely XJ6 Shed came off the Browns Lane production line in Birmingham.

The spotless MOT history tells an unmistakable tale of money-no-object maintenance by the single owner. The sheet metal and uncreased leather look bob on. There’s no leaper on the bonnet, which will please the purists, and you’ve even got four new tyres to bimble about on.

Without actually mentioning the ad-killing words ‘Cat D’, the vendors admit that it was deemed uneconomical to repair at some point in its life. When Jaguars reach this level of value, it doesn’t take much in the way of damage for insurers to give it the thumbs-down. The owner has quite rightly given the insurers a different digital gesture and had it mended anyway. Well done him for preserving a car he clearly loved. For the next owner, this kind of history will not be an issue from the point of view of enjoyment or insurance. A classic policy will be buttons.

But surely Jags are unreliable old heaps, you cry? Not these ones. Looked after, an AJ16-engined X300 will easily reach and cross the 200,000-mile rubicon. Many will claim that the 3.2 is not the de facto XJ6 engine, that the 4.0-litre six provides a wodge more torque with little fuel penalty, and that the X308 V8 is the best choice of all. Leaving aside the fact that the V8s have stupid ‘sealed for life’ gearboxes that are no such thing, and that they have a reputation for flooding if you turn them off when they're still cold, the trick here surely is never to drive the 4.0 or the V8 so that you don’t know what you're missing, and simply settle back to enjoy an engine that’s still bigger and more relaxing than 98% of anything else on the road. Bargealicious.

You may detect a suggestion of whine from the diff once the liquids are warm, and the suspension bushes top and bottom do fail, along with the front suspension V-mounts, but you can forget most of your fears about Jaguar electronics. There’ll be the odd warning light coming on and the odd clock and J-gate light going off, but other than those and the seat memory, boot lock, and heater elements sometimes going south, it’s pretty much golden.

Obviously, you need to keep an eye out for rust on any 22-year old car. Usual XJ trouble spots are the sills, wheel arches, bottom wing and door edges and window surrounds. Again, the full-service history will be working in your favour.

As a classic to lay down or a car to enjoy, this Jaguar has a lot going for it. Buy it, stock up on a few blindfolds and get the missus to drive. You’ll be transported back to a better time.

Here's the ad.

Metallic Blue with light Grey interior, Air conditioning (cold), Remote alarm locking, Full book pack and 2 sets of keys,, 1 owner, 5 seats, Electric Windows (Front/Rear), In Car Entertainment (Radio/Cassette), Multiple Air-Bags, ABS, This ONE OWNER example has a SERVICE HISTORY, It has also recently had 4 New tyres fitted, This example is in good clean condition throughout and drives beautifully, This example has had very minor cosmetic damage which an insurance company deemed uneconomical to repair due to new parts no longer being available., Finance & Warranties arranged, All Major Debit cards accepted, VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT OPEN 7 DAYS., £1,490 p/x to clear
3.2 XJ6 4dr