1980 Daimler Vanden Plas III V12 Saloon

Description

Within the exclusive club super saloons of the 1970s, few would argue that Daimler's Double Six merits inclusion alongside such peerless luxury cars as the Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9. As the undisputed flagship of Jaguar's XJ series, the Double Six was one of the fastest four-door cars of its era and unquestionably remains one of the most beautiful saloons ever built. The Daimler badge was applied to the more upmarket models in Jaguar's XJ line-up, with the Sovereign announced on October 9th, 1969 - a year after the original model was unveiled. When the XJ12 was born in 1972, a famous name was revived for the Daimler version, the Double Six badge harking back to the great days of the late 1920s. Costing appreciably more than the similarly equipped Jaguar, the Double Six was loaded with every possible luxury feature and only sold with automatic transmission. A few months later a long-wheelbase Vanden Plas derivative was announced, with final trim and finishing completed at the famous coachbuilder's Kingsbury Works, including special paint finishes and fashionable vinyl roofs. An updated and improved Series 2 model followed in 1973, chiefly notable for the addition of a stylish two-door coupe derivative, along with the switch to fuel injection and the adoption of GM's 400 automatic transmission on V12-powered cars. In 1979 the final flowering of the original XJ series was unveiled, with the XJ's styling refined by the Italian design studio Pininfarina. According to the sales literature, ?The Series 3 is a beautiful synthesis of everything that Daimler was and everything that today's owner and driver will expect his Daimler to be.? Behind the famous fluted grille, the Double Six's silky smooth and powerful 5.3-litre V12 engine developed 285 bhp at 5750 rpm and had a maximum speed just shy of 150 mph, putting it alongside many supercars of the day in performance terms. No Italian exotic could hope to match the Daimler for ambience inside the cabin, with the occupants cosseted by individual-style rear seats (with detachable headrests), electrically controlled front seats, traditional timber cappings and deep pile carpets. The Double Six is a classic Daimler saloon that can be enjoyed every day, with no shortage of spares or specialists able to work on them, and can be immensely rewarding cars to own.