1969 Jaguar XJ6

Some cars announce their arrival at The Market’s HQ with the roar of a mighty V8 or V12, the frantic spinning of a turbo or two, a cloud of tyre smoke and all the aggression and barely restrained fury of thoroughbred machines. Others purr and whisper into our midst, oozing class and refinement from every pore of their Connolly leather and every swirl in their burr walnut veneer.

This one had to be pushed off the back of a transporter.

But don’t be fooled by initial appearances.

It might currently be a non-runner but it’s got one rather rare quality that might just set your pulse racing. Namely, the fact that the bodywork and chassis seem to be far less troubled by rust than the car’s rather time-worn appearance might otherwise suggest to the untutored eye. That’s unusual in an XJ6 of this vintage, to say the least.

There is a reason for this.

This car - we’ve taken to calling it El Jaguaro - comes to us from Spain, where it has lived each and every one of its 51 years driving on unsalted roads under sunny Iberian skies.

Actually, that’s not true. Yes, it’s spent 51 years in Spain. But only 29 of them on the road.

In fact, it’s spent the last 12 years gathering half an inch of dust in a barn belonging to the one family in whose ownership it has always resided until now.

Prior to El Jaguaro’s sorry years languishing in a barn near the family vineyard, it spent 10 years (no, really) with a Spanish bodywork repair shop.

The owner took it to them in 1998, instructed them to sort it out, give it a full respray and generally make it lovely.

But he didn’t give them a deadline. So, 10 years later, he collected the resprayed car from them and was informed that over the course of the previous decade, they’d somehow lost the badges, the arial and various bit of trim. Oh well…

This car originally had Jaguar’s 2.8 litre engine. Even in 1969 people wondered why on earth anyone would choose an engine that barely had enough grunt to pull the skin off a rice pudding, let alone pull a whopping great Jaguar saloon along at a decent lick. The original owner’s son opted to have the car retrofitted with Jaguar’s 4.2 litre straight six in 1997. The vendor assures us that the new engine’s number is stamped on the chassis – and we have the photograph to prove it.

Yes, you’re right, El Jaguaro does look as if it’s accidentally entered a bull fight and lost by a considerable margin.

But we think it’s basically a strong, sound car. This is a viable project, not a basket case, and we think it would amply repay a buyer with the passion, vision and resources to do the job properly.

Broadly speaking, the Old English White paint has withstood the ravages of time fairly well. Perhaps because since 1998 it hasn’t really been outside until now.

There are dinks, dents, bumps, ripples, chips, nicks and scuffs aplenty, but the overall effect is really not too bad – all things considered.

You can actually see more of the bodywork than usual at the moment. Where one of the exhaust tail pipes fell off somewhere between Salamanca and Oxfordshire, you can now admire the full extent of the daubing and bodging that’s been inflicted on the rear valance.

The front number plate, which we have in our possession, decided to fall off in protest the moment it arrived at our storage unit, and its absence now reveals the louvred vent that runs along the front of the car below the bumper. Like the bumper, it has been given a whack at some point and it now has the appearance of a slightly downturned smile. It’s as if El Jaguaro is wistfully recalling former glories in a moment of quiet melancholy.

There are holes where the badges, wing mirror and arial used to be. There is a gash in the metal of the o/s front wheel. The rear o/s door doesn’t lock. The tyres are shocking.

There is pockmarked, tarnished or peeling chrome work in several places. And there is some minor bubbling apparent on both rear wheel arches, the bottom of the passenger’s door and one or two other places – but it’s nothing major and there’s far less of it than you might expect.

For all the exterior’s manifold and sundry faults, this is the body of a plucky and spirited survivor. Indeed, if you just looked at the car’s bonnet and a few other panels, you’d rightly form the impression that the finish has a good depth of shine and lustre to it and the panels and shut lines are really not that far from being proper and correct.

Nobody does the leather and wood thing better than Jaguar and although El Jaguaro has tan vinyl rather than hide, the effect is much the same.

Most of the interior is in decent condition and just needs a bit of TLC, a chamois and some soapy water.

There’s nothing to suggest a decade spent in a barn. No mildew, no rips or tears to speak of, no cracked or peeling veneers, no cress growing in the carpets. It’s all pretty solid, if a bit shabby.

Lifting the carpets (which are more than serviceable) reveals metal, not rust. The headlining is decent, and the dashboard, facsia, centre console and door cards are all intact. There’s none of the sun damage sometimes evident in cars from spicier climes although, as we know, El Jaguaro hasn’t been out much in the last 22 years

The vinyl seats, front and back, have held up particularly well.

The paint has worn away from the steering wheel, there are small splits to the vinyl surrounding the driver’s door handle, and the carpet and vinyl are parting company in a messy way where the passenger footwell meets the front door.

The cavernous boot is in good, rust free condition and is home to a spare wheel you wouldn’t give to your worst enemy.

Amazingly, the undersides of the car appear to be pretty much rust free, save for the superficial spotting and dusting you’d expect to find in a car this long in the tooth.

What we can’t tell you about are the engine, mechanicals, suspension, drive train, brakes, electrics, etc. You know, all the stuff that makes the car work. Or not.

The vendor, who runs a repair and restoration business with workshops in Spain and the UK, found the car, appreciated its originality and condition, and has opted to sell it on as is. He’s currently restoring a Ferrari Testarossa instead.

Fair enough.

So, neither he nor we know what it would take to get it up and running again, although the vendor suspects not very much, particularly as the 4.2 litre engine has done virtually nothing since it was fitted in 1997.

There’s not much documented history aside from the anecdotal knowledge that it’s been owned by one family since 1969, had a new engine in 1997 and a respray in 1998. Apart from that, there are a few bills and invoices (in Spanish).

The vendor tells us that the Spanish equivalent of an MoT is a far more bureaucratic and officious beast than its UK counterpart. Indeed, the Spanish government oversees and conducts MoTs (not the local garage) and makes a point of insisting that all damage, claims, MoTs, etc, are rigorously recorded and kept in – presumably – some lead-lined safe in a bunker in Madrid.

Anyway, our point is that, as far as we can tell, there will undoubtedly be a paper trail attached to this car. You just have to find it.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the car and any paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

However, if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

Although registered in ’69 it was actually built in ’68, which must make it one of the earliest XJ6s to leave Browns Lane.

Ultimately, it is what it is.

And we believe that what it is…..is a decent, honest vehicle that’s dodged the worst bullet - galloping, terminal rot - but picked up a few flesh wounds along the way.

Even though it’s 51 years old, parts of it – notably the paint and the engine – are effectively new, having never seen daylight or the turn of key very much since 1998.

As for the mechanicals, well, caveat emptor.

But, taken as a whole, we rather like El Jaguaro and hope it finds a good home with someone who can bring a smile to its lower front grille once again.

We’re confident to offer this vehicle for auction with no reserve and with an estimate of £3,000 - £6,000.

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’.