1970s Jaguars are pretty cars but fraught with period Blighty quality and reliability issues. But they sure look good. And the other day this one popped up on Finding Future Classic Cars. Would I own it? Nah. But I can still appreciate these cars, especially in pillarless coupe form. The white paint, black top and red leather interior is particularly striking.
It’s currently on LA craigslist. But the car is in Portland with a New Jersey title. Hmm. Hope the old girl is still in one piece. Anyway, per the ad:
“Concours-level mint condition all original 1976 Jaguar XJ6C with only 26,000 original California miles, owned by celebrity car collector in Los Angeles and now by a Jaguar collector.”
“Extremely rare 2 door coupe model – one of 3899 left-hand drive made between 1975-1977. Must-see car with Jaguar Heritage Certificate and all paperwork. All original except for tires and hoses and other engine routine maintenance. Never taken apart or restored.”
“All numbers match. Extremely rare car in this condition. Paint and interior are in practically new condition. Never in rain or other water. Body and interior and underbody are perfect.”
“All electronics and features work with no issues at all. Spent its entire life in dry Southern California climate. Serious buyers only.”
Tempted? If you are, and like these cars, this would be the one to get, in better-than-new shape with zero issues or needs. A basket case one of these would likely drain your savings and vaporize your happiness and good will in no time! But she sure is pretty!
1976 Jaguar XJ6C with only 26,000 original California miles.
577.77 miles per year.
If you plan on looking at, go for it.
If you plan on driving it…….
The car is too expensive to too nice to restomod and make it more fun and reliable to drive, so I expect it will remain a garage queen.
Love it. What struck me was the thin plastic steering wheel, a different design but similar to period Rolls Royce and Lagonda. Showed the different mindset of these cars as compared with our German friends. These cars had adequate engine displacement and well boosted steering. So a highway run was a relaxing jaunt where the driver could think. not gripping tight the steering wheel as you desperately prod the German for 2 more miles per hour before you have to slam the brakes to get around a slow truck. Modern Jags and Caddys and even Rolls have conformed to the German way now for a long time, but it was nice when there was a choice. Not all people are the same.
This is a crazy price. Condition 1 valuation for a 1976 XJ6C is $37,900. I would call this a condition 2+ car, and that’s giving it the benefit of the doubt without even an under-hood photo in the listing. $26,300 should cover it. Anyone looking to set a world record price should probably have put the car on a lift and taken dozens of detail photographs. Hell, getting a price more than 100% over market might even involve selling a car without any tall tales revolving around out-of-state registration and storage.
The father of two girls I went to school with had a similar car. It may have been an XJ12C, and you can buy the best one of those in the world for $44,600. I think that’s what I’d look for before paying 25% more for an 162 horsepower lead sled with stories.
At some point, people are not buying an old Jaguar as part of the effort pretend wealth while running it into the ground. They are buying it because they appreciate it’s beauty and audacious design. Given the low build numbers, that is a formula for prices to rise. This becomes even more poignant as the XJ ;line has now ended after 50 years. The direct heritage and continuity was such that several renovation shops transferred the modern Jag V8 into the heritage models to create an old style modern. With the V8 now gone this will also end and originality will be prized.
While the XJC is gorgeous, it would have been interesting to see what a Series III XJC would have looked like, as the 3rd gen sedan is damn near perfect. As I understand it, that vinyl roof covers some dodgy metalwork they couldn’t resolve.
Yes, there are people that have restored them and smoothed out the roof so they didn’t need vinyl, but they all had it from the factory.
Not great, I think; the upright Pininfarina greenhouse that defines the Series III wouldn’t have translated particularly well to coupe duty, it would have been the Mark VI to the Series II’s Mark V.
At a Ferrari press conference for the 612 I got the chance to ask Sergio Pininfarina about the Series III. When I said that I thought it was the most beautiful sedan ever, he modestly said that it was a restyling of an already great design.
When thinking about why the coupes didn’t continue, it should also be remembered what failures the coupes were in the marketplace. Prior to the second half of the Series IIIs run, most of the cars stayed in the Commonwealth and were bought by companies for use by their executives as a tax dodge. Two doors were not going to be a part of that, so adding them must have been a ploy to add more private buyers to expand the market. With the economy industrial and high tax, prior to the financialization of the economy, it was a high mountain to climb.
I seem to recall the structural rigidity of the hardtop coupe was not very good, so lots of rattles, wind whistles, and water leaks probably had something to do with the low demand for a car that is otherwise so beautiful and by the standards of the time nice to drive.
Forgive my ignorance but how does a car have a New Jersey title if it’s spent its entire life in California?
California’s unconstitutional Air Resource Board decided to stop grandfathering emissions tests after the 1975 model year. So any 1976 car registered in California by someone without a political exemption has to pass emissions tests and have 100% OEM emissions components to be registered in California for road use. This car undoubtedly couldn’t pass emissions for an owner who wasn’t “a celebrity car collector,” so the new owner used a mailbox in a state without emissions tests for old cars to get it licensed.
Thanks! After 35 years in Chicago (but no longer), I can certainly believe the additional commentary.
Even prettier than the E-type, in my opinion, and this example is just fabulous. If I were rich, and possessed the skills to maintain it properly, I might be daft enough to buy it. After all, sometimes it’s just about the beauty of it.
I am the owner of this car. I had it for sale briefly and had an offer close to the asking price but some issues arose and the car wasn’t sold. I’d be happy to answer any questions.