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]