1984 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Sovereign

First registered in November 1984, this Jaguar XJ Sovereign has the 4.2-litre straight-six XK engine - a derivative of the unit that powered Jaguar’s D-Types to Le Mans victories three years in a row during the mid fifties. It has a Borg-Warner 3 speed automatic transmission.

After spending the first two years in Surrey’s stockbroker belt, its subsequent owners were based in the midlands. It was still a good enough example at 5 years old and 96k miles to be sold by a Jaguar main dealer to owner number four, a professional mechanical engineer from Nottinghamshire.

He kept the car diligently serviced, maintained and repaired and it was garaged during his long-term ownership of 31 years. It’s something of a cliché to say that a car was only used on dry days but he claims that in over three decades it only got caught out in wet conditions twice.

Owner number five only acquired the car earlier this year as something of a post-pandemic nostalgia purchase, as his father had owned a few Jaguars and Daimlers back in the day. He had toyed with the idea of XJ Series ownership for some years and when he saw this one with a great history that wanted for nothing, he finally bit the bullet.

Having seen first hand the care and attention that had been given to the car and after taking it out on a few trips, mostly sunny Sunday afternoon runs, he realised that his limited storage options and high-mileage work life weren’t really compatible with classic car ownership.

He has no regrets on selling so soon after buying - he’s ticked the box and is honest and upfront about his reasons - but rather than let it deteriorate through lack of use or inadequate storage, he’d rather pass it on to a true enthusiast who will be able to continue the excellent care that the Sovereign has had to date.

This XJ6 is painted in what Jaguar called Antelope metallic - a light bronze colour with a slight blush to it and gold coach lines to add a touch more class. The paint is in generally very good condition with a deep finish. There are a few blemishes and imperfections, such as some light stone chips on the nose and slight lacquer peel inside the bonnet shut.

The bodywork itself has good panel alignment and nothing we could see in terms of significant damage. There’s a couple of small chips and marks here and there, a light scratch above the driver’s door handle and a small indentation but nothing of any real concern.

The chrome is generally excellent with only a little oxidation around the lock bezels and some wear behind the driver’s door mirror. It is a very good looking car.

The Sovereign sits on 15-inch 40-hole GKN alloy wheels by Ogle Design. Unsurprisingly they are known as “Pepperpot” wheels in the UK but on the continent they are more humorously referred to as “Swiss Cheese” wheels. Aside from some light kerbing on the near side rear, they present in good condition, shod mostly with Pirelli P4000 tyres and a solitary P5 on the off side rear.

What colour name for the interior complements an Antelope exterior better than Doeskin? Clearly keen to keep references within the ungulate family, the first owner specified a leather interior - which at the time would have been rather deer… sorry… dear!

The inside is still in a fabulous condition with the seat upholstery showing only a light patina from use and no evident damage. In the expectation that the driver’s seat would wear more quickly and likely need recovering, the previous long-term owner bought a replacement leather cover in 1991 - it still isn’t needed but does come with the car.

Up front is a nice blend of padded black vinyl dash and walnut veneer, with instruments also picked out in black. Straight out of the eighties is an LED trip computer in the central dash above what looks like the original fit Jaguar Clarion radio cassette player.

The electrical equipment seems in good order; the windows, wipers, lights, sunroof and air-con fan all appear to work - although the a/c gas will need recharging. What doesn’t work is the powered telescopic aerial which makes a clicking noise suggesting something is stuck or has come adrift inside. Also the front fog lamps are reportedly disconnected.

The carpets are in good order and have protective overmats but the headlining is beginning to sag.

The engine bay is exceptionally clean to the extent that it appears not to have just had a steam clean to spruce things up cosmetically but has been the subject of years of diligent maintenance and tinkering followed by recent renewal. For example, the chromed cover over the exhaust manifold looks almost new, as do the air filter housing, intake hoses, radiator and brake master cylinder.

Underneath the car is particularly clean and well preserved too, with evidence of stone chip coatings to body-coloured panels and good underseal across the underfloor. The front suspension looks recently renewed.

The large boot of the XJ is clean and tidy with carpet and linings intact. Under the floorboard is a full size pepperpot spare with Pirelli rubber and also present are the jack, Jaguar tool kit - which appears complete, an emergency kit and a genuine Jaguar service manual and parts catalogue appropriate to the model.

You don’t need to take our word for the super condition of this car, check out the detailed photos in the gallery to see for yourself - there’s even underside shots taken on a workshop lift. Or, if you’d rather get your hands on the metal, use the Contact Seller option to arrange a viewing in person at our Oxfordshire HQ.

This extremely well cared for XJ has a current MOT valid until July 2023, which it passed with no advisories. The online record shows that it spent several years in storage until a few years ago when it was given a refresh. Although kept garaged and generally roadworthy, it has only covered 3,000 miles since 2007. The odometer is now showing around 109,480 miles.

The car comes with its original owner’s book pack, complete with the service record which contains main dealer service stamps up to 82k miles as follows:

Dec 1984 - 2,285 - Reigate Jaguar

May 1985 - 9,951 - a/a

Sep 1985 - 17,125 - a/a

Apr 1986 - 28,826 - a/a

Oct 1986 - 38,527 - a/a

Mar 1987 - 44,374 - Sturgess Jaguar, Leicester

Jun 1987 - 52,069 - a/a

Oct 1987 - 59,855 - a/a

Mar 1988 - 68,070 - Colliers Jaguar, Sutton Coldfield

Aug 1988 - 75,068 - a/a

Jan 1989 - 82,077 - Mobile servicing, Staffs

Jul 1989 - 89,275 - a/a

Jan 1990 - 96,204 - Mann Egerton Jaguar, Nottingham

Having bought the car from Mann Egerton directly after this service in January 1990, the last but one owner was a mechanical engineer who serviced and maintained the car himself - there are numerous invoices from well known Jaguar part suppliers such as SNG Barratt for this period.

For jobs like body work he would use specialists. One such task was some restoration during the winter of 1994-95 when the outer sills, rear valance, rear lower quarter panels and boot floor panel were replaced and repainted - presumably to deal with corrosion. There are some photographs of the work in the history file.

Also in the file are four pages of typed notes on all of the work done to the car during the 31+ years of ownership along with a couple of pages of tips on how to look after the car properly. He was clearly the kind of owner who cares about a car and this one in particular, even once it has gone to a new owner.

As you can see and hear on the accompanying video, the engine starts and runs well although the idle speed is a little low. It might be worth a service or tune-up to get it back on point.

There’s a bit of a rattle coming from somewhere, which we think is likely a loose exhaust mount and a slight clunk into reverse or first gear. Otherwise it drives smoothly and pulls well, with good braking and nice steering and it was driven 160 miles to our HQ in Oxfordshire from Warrington with no issues; delivering 27.4 mpg on the journey down.

The beautiful presentation and mechanical condition of this Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign belies its age-appropriate mileage. It has been cherished and well maintained by a long-term owner who clearly knew what he was about.

As lovely as this example is, the masses have yet to catch on to the XJ6 so we think it will sell for between £6,000 and £8,000, which is no money for such a regal motor. It’s selling with NO RESERVE too, so there’s no excuse not to put in your best bid and pick up a bargain belter.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.