1978 Jaguar XJ6L

The Jaguar XJ6 was launched in 1968 and improved upon the concepts embodied by pervious Jaguar saloons. It was longer, lower and wider than the preceding '420' model. It was more rigid and incorporated 'crumple zone' technology for increased safety. In similar fashion to the 420, it had an all-independent suspension but with anti-dive geometry up-front. The rack-and-pinion steering setup was a first on a Jaguar saloon. Power was from a six-cylinder XK engine in either 2.8- or 4.2-liter forms initially. In October of 1972, a long wheelbase bodyshell became available which ultimately became standardized in 1975, part way through production of the mildly revised Series 2 that had been introduced in 1973.

The Series II cars were given raised front bumpers to comply with U.S. safety regulations. This move encroached upon the grille territory, which meant the grille became smaller. The interior received a substantial update, including simplified heating and air conditioning systems.

The Series I Jaguar XJ6 was the last Jaguar saloon to have input from Sir William Lyons, the company's founder.

The 1978 Jaguar XJ6 had a base price of $19,000 and a total of 15,422 examples were sold. The dual overhead cam six-cylinder engine displaced 258.4 cubic-inches and offered 162 horsepower. Later, when the Lucas/Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection system arrived, horsepower rose to 176 bhp. A three-speed automatic was mated to the engine and disc brakes were placed at all four corners.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2019