Daimler Sovereign S1 4.2 LWB

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Of all the great cars produced by Jaguar between the 1930s and the 1970s, the one that Sir William Lyons was most proud of was the XJ6 Saloon which he called “the best design of all”.

Launched in September 1968, the XJ6 was blessed with such astonishing refinement, handling and ride comfort, at such a remarkably affordable price, that it immediately made every other car on the road seem old fashioned and over-priced.

Producing 245bhp with a top speed of 127mph and a 0-60 time of 8.8 seconds, it could outpace many a sportscar. A luxury Daimler version was introduced in 1969 and came with a fluted radiator, a chrome bonnet strip, better sound proofing and more luxurious seats. From 1972 it was also available in long wheelbase, increasing the rear passenger leg room by 4-inches, an option that ultimately proved so popular that the short wheelbase was dropped from the range altogether in 1974.

The lovely Regency Red Series One Daimler Sovereign 4.2 on sale today was first registered in June 1973 and was owned by just one family from new until late last year. It has covered some 105,400 miles with no fewer than 20 service stamps in the book, the last at 104,476 miles in 1998, shortly after which the car was more or less retired from service and barely used.

Clearly a much-cherished machine, it has a supple and well-preserved black leather interior, a nice clean engine bay and also benefits from a full-length Webasto sunroof. Acquired by the vendor last year, it has since been thoroughly recommissioned and serviced and is said to be “a wonderful drive” with an MOT until December 2015.

It comes with the aforementioned service history, 24 old MOT certificates charting the mileage, the original toolkit and the original eight track stereo. Appearing to be in very smart order throughout, this is also a very rare car, being one of only 386 LWB Daimlers made out of 98,227 Series One cars produced in total. Just beginning to appear on the collectors' radar, Series One values have climbed rapidly of late and this well-maintained cracker, from long term family ownership, could yet prove a wise buy at the guide price suggested.