Jaguar XJ6 S3 Sovereign 4.2 Automatic

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The ground-breaking XJ6 made such an impact at launch that virtually every other luxury saloon on the market was rendered over-priced and obsolete overnight.

Its combination of stunning looks, performance, refinement and ride comfort, not to mention value for money, shook the rest of the industry to the core. No wonder CAR magazine voted it 'Car of the Year' in 1968 and later, in 12-cylinder Daimler form, 'Best Car in the World'.

It remained in production for 26 years, going through three stages of development before being replaced by the X300 in 1994. The Series 3 model (as here) came out in 1979 and was subtly redesigned by Pininfarina with a few minor tweaks to improve safety and wind noise, with improvements such as bigger rubber bumpers, flush-fitting door handles and one-piece front windows with no quarter lights. The roof-line was also raised slightly for increased passenger head-room and Bosch fuel-injection was fitted for improved economy and performance.

However the really big news was the marked increase in build quality under the hawk-eyed supervision of Jaguar’s new chairman, Sir John Egan, who was rightly concerned by some of the shoddy practices that had slipped in during the production of the Series 2 cars in the late 70s. Available with three engine options (3.6, 4.2 and 5.3 litres), the revamped XJ6 once again became one of the finest saloons on the market and some 133,000 were sold before it was replaced by the rather less elegant XJ40 in 1986.

Dating from May 1985, this superb Claret Red XJ6 4.2 with a Doeskin leather interior has covered only 49,200 miles from new backed up by an unbroken run of 28 old MOTs back to 1988 by which time it had done 35,729 miles. The car has had just five owners to date and was originally bought by a Northampton gentleman who kept it for almost four years before trading it in for a new Jaguar at his local dealership from whom the second owner acquired it in February 1989. He was to keep the car for the next 23 years, using it very sparingly in fine weather only and storing it in a carpeted garage when not in use.

The third owner, a Jaguar collector, kept it for only one year before trading it in for another Jaguar at marque specialist Robert Hughes of Weybridge from whom the fourth owner acquired it in April 2013. At this point the car was described by Hughes as "an unblemished Sovereign having led a sheltered life. The mileage is genuine at 45,000 since new and this car drives very well. In all respects, this is one of the best."

The fourth owner kept it for only six months before being tempted by a 30,000 mile Bentley Mulsanne and selling it to the current owner in October 2013. He was planning to keep it as a show car but, as fate would have it, he too has just fallen for the charms of a 1930s Bentley and with insufficient garaging to store both, he has reluctantly decided that the Jaguar must go.

Always impeccably maintained, the car retains all its original handbooks in the original wallet, the service book showing 12 stamps to date, the last only 50 miles ago in March this year. Recently fitted with a new headlining, the car also has a brand new set of tyres, the vendor opting to fit a carefully chosen set of Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tyres which have a very low decibel rating but are ideally suited to traversing the soft ground encountered at show venues to which the car was intended to be a frequent visitor.

As you can see in the photos, the car remains in outstanding condition throughout and, following a test drive on the occasion of our visit, we can confirm that it drives magnificently in conditions of almost total silence. Appearing to be impressively original throughout, it has been fitted with a modern Sony CD player but the original Jaguar radio cassette is also included.

With an MOT until October 2016 with no advisories recorded, this superb motorcar is ready to enjoy right away and is no doubt capable of scooping awards at shows should the new owner feel so inclined. We challenge you to find a better example anywhere!