Daimler Double Six S1 Vanden Plas

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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 motorway drivers as it hurtled past. Heralded at launch as ‘The Best Car In The World’, it’s 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 comfortable leather seats. An even more upmarket Daimler version, the Double Six, was also available.

Only around 3,500 Series One V12 saloons of all types were made before it was replaced by the far less characterful Series 2 in 1973, of which only 887 were Daimlers and a mere 337 to RHD Vanden Plas specification and survivors are exceedingly rare and increasingly sought after today.

As the accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms, this Double Six Vanden Plas was built at the end of May 1973 and supplied via the Leeds Automobile Centre to first owner Kingsley Construction Ltd of Yeadon. Finished in Coral pink with a Chamois leather interior, it has covered only 64,900 miles to date with 21 old MOTs back to 1982 (at 47,358 miles) and many service invoices to support this total.

In 1999 at 61,700 miles the car was treated to a full body restoration costing over £8,000 with various bills showing ongoing maintenance since. Recently fitted with a stainless steel exhaust system, a new headlining and new floor panels, the car remains in very good order throughout and has had just one owner for most of the last 20 years. Said to drive as it should, it has an MOT until April 2017 with no advisories recorded.

A rare car in a most striking colour scheme from long-term ownership and with a reassuringly good history file, this luxurious classic saloon ticks all the right boxes and is sure to be of interest to any Jaguar/Daimler collector.