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2011 Shannons Sydney Autumn Classic Auction
Lot
14

1971 Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 Saloon

$14,500

Sold

Specifications

Engine In-Line 6-cylinder, 4235cc
Gearbox Automatic 3-speed
Body Work Saloon
Colour Beige
Interior Tan
Trim Leather
Wheels Steel
Brakes Discs

Description

This lot is no longer available

The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar marque. The XJ was launched in 1968 and has served as Jaguar's flagship model for most of its production span which continues through to today. The original model was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons the company's founder.The XJ6, using 2.8 litre (2790 cc/170 in ) and 4.2 litre (4235cc/258 in) straight-six cylinder versions of Jaguar's renowned XK engine, replaced most of Jaguar's saloons - which, in the 1960s, had expanded to four separate ranges. Apart from the engines, the other main component carried over from previous models was the widest version of Jaguar's IRS unit from the Mark X The "XJ" designation was from the car's code name during development, standing for "Experimental Jaguar".The car was introduced in September 1968. Power assisted steering and leather upholstery were standard on the 2.8 L 'De Luxe' and 4.2 L models and air conditioning was offered as an optional extra on the 4.2 L. Daimler versions which were launched in October 1969, in a series of television advertisements featuring Sir William. In these spots, he referred to the car as "the finest Jaguar ever". An unusual feature, inherited from the Jaguar Mark X, was the provision of twin fuel tanks, positioned on each side of the boot / trunk, and filled using two separately lockable filler caps: one on the top of each wing above the rear wheel arches. In March 1970 it was announced that the Borg-Warner Model 8 automatic transmission which the XJ6 had featured since 1968 would be replaced on the 4.2 litre engined XJ6 with a Borg-Warner Model 12 unit. The new transmission now had three different forward positions accessed via the selector lever, which effectively enabled performance oriented drivers to hold lower ratios at higher revs in order to achieve better acceleration, "Greatly improved shift quality" was also claimed for the new system. These series 1 cars are the purist of the line in design and form and are arguably the most collectable today.