Jaguar XJ12 LWB

Just eleven years after the launch of the E-type, Jaguar stunned the world with another machine capable of nearly 150mph, only this time the car was a four-door saloon! Launched in July 1972 the new car, known as the XJ12, looked nearly identical to its six-cylinder sister car, the XJ6, which must have surprised a few autobahn users as it hurtled past. Heralded at launch as the "Best Car In The World", its astonishing standards of ride and refinement humbled even Rolls-Royce, and it was the only mass-produced 12-cylinder four-door car on the market.

The XJ12 shared its magnificent engine with the new V12 E-Type and in early carburettor form developed some 253bhp, sufficient to whisk the car to 60mph in just 7.4 seconds on the way to an effortless 145mph with barely a ripple on a glass of champagne. The cabin was trimmed to the usual Jaguar standards with elegant woodwork to the dash and door cappings and perforated leather on the seats.

A Daimler version, the Double Six, was also available and from late-1972 a long wheel-base version, the XJ12L, was offered which gave a significant 4” extra legroom in the rear. Only 3,228 XJ12 Saloons were made before it was replaced by the far less characterful Series 2 in 1973, of which just 754 were long wheel-base models. Good ones are exceedingly rare today and you could wait years before you see another one for sale.

This car was purchased by the vendor in 2009 having been in long term storage. 10 old MOTs accompany the car showing that by 1981 it had covered just 26,000 miles, a total which had crept up to just 37,000 by 1997. The car was re-commissioned and is MOTd until September 2013. A re-conditioned gearbox was fitted, along with 4 new tyres on re-furbished wheels, a new hose kit and HT leads. The car was given a quality bare metal re-spray in the original Old English White, whilst internally the head lining was re-fitted. Said to run smoothly on all 12 and drive well, it comes with its old V5 document. Given its rarity and the renaissance in Series 1 XJ saloons, this low mileage example looks good value at the suggested guide price.