Lot Ended
Description
Supplied new
to Japan and returning here in 2020; recent service and four new tyres;
exceptionally clean and tidy with lovely paintwork and a fabulous Vanden Plas
red leather interior; new MOT with no advisories
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 XJ12 was heralded by the motoring press as
the ‘Best Car In The World’ with astonishing standards of ride and refinement
that have not been significantly bettered to this day. A more luxuriously
trimmed Daimler Double Six version was also available, easily distinguished from
the Jaguar by its fluted radiator grille and chrome side strips.
In 1979
Pininfarina were tasked with restyling the car for the new decade, the Series 3
receiving thicker rubber bumpers, one-piece front door glass, and a higher rear
roof line for more space in the cabin. Build quality also went up markedly
and the V12 gained fuel injection and HE (high efficiency) cylinder heads which,
combined with the Digital P ECU and Lucas CEI electronic ignition introduced in
the mid-1980s, almost doubled the fuel economy.
The Double Six S3
remained in production until November 1992 by which time around 3,600 had been
sold.
This particular S3 was manufactured towards the end of the
production run, being first registered in Japan in April 1991. Finished in
stunning ice blue metallic with a sumptuous red leather Vanden Plas interior,
this Double Six looks a million dollars and is a wonderfully cossetting thing to
waft around in.
Spending its first 19 years on the salt-free roads of
Japan, it was imported back to the UK in September 2020 and has been resident in
Northern Ireland since the current keeper acquired it in March 2022.
As
is usually the case with Japanese imports, there is no service history with the
car but there is an invoice for a service in 2024 at 91,964 miles which included
fresh oil and filter, 12 new spark plugs and new rocker cover gaskets and it has
only covered 290 miles since. There is also a handbook and maintenance book plus
two old Irish MOTs issued in September 2023 and September 2024.
Submitted for another MOT in August this year, it failed because all
four tyres were damaged/perished but these have since been replaced with a
matching set of Delinte DS2 217/70/15 tyres. It now carries a brand new MOT
until November 2026 with no advisories recorded.
In January 2022 the
front passenger side doors and sill were lightly damaged which resulted in a
Category S insurance loss but the owner chose to keep the car and have it
repaired. This was clearly a very professional job and there is no sign of the
damage today (see last three photos).
Showing 92,308 miles on the
clock, this Double Six is in wonderful condition for its age/mileage and has
been starting instantly and running beautifully as we have moved it around on
site.
On offer here at a modest guide price due to the Cat S status, we
are all mightily impressed with this car and we are sure that you will be too,
so make sure you come and see it!
Contact - [email protected]