1956 Jaguar Xk140 Mc Fix Head Coupe on 2040-cars

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Junkyard Gem: 1977 Jaguar XJ6L

British Leyland began selling the Jaguar XJ in 1968, and production continued through multiple platform generations (and corporate owners) until just a few years ago. The original XJ was facelifted twice, in 1973 and 1979, with sales of the six-cylinder version extending into 1987 (Series 3 cars with V12s were built through 1992). Production numbers were never very high, but these cars proved popular in the United States and I still find them every so often during my junkyard travels. Here's a Series 2 XJ6 saloon that showed up in a Denver-area self-service yard last winter. Jaguar introduced a long-wheelbase version of the XJ saloon for 1972, giving it a four-inch stretch in order to better compete against the planned Rover P8. Since Rover was a fellow British Leyland brand, this was like Buick pouring big resources into crushing a threat from Oldsmobile, to the detriment of the overall company. In any case, the long-wheelbase saloons proved so successful that the short-wheelbase four-doors got the axe a couple of years later (the coupes stayed on the shorter chassis). Jaguar continued to add the "L" badging to the saloons for quite a while after that, presumably because it looked classy. The paint on all the upper body surfaces has been nuked down to the steel by the relentless High Plains sun, so we can assume that this car spent a decade or three sitting parked outside. It may have started out in Arizona, one of the few places with fiercer sunlight than eastern Colorado. Is it possible that it really turned a mere 46,630 miles during its life? With most cars of this vintage, I'd assume that the five-digit odometer has been turned over once or twice. With a Jaguar and its troublesome electrical components made by the Prince of Darkness, however, that's not such a sure bet. To own a car like this, you need to be willing and able to give it the money and work it requires to stay on the road; not many are suited to this responsibility. The interior looks to have been in very nice condition before the car got parked in a field somewhere. The wood interior trim has seen better days. Back in the 1970s, Mercedes-Benz had a big edge over Jaguar with mechanical sophistication and build quality, granted, but Jaguar beat those Stuttgarters hands-down when it came to making a car interior feel like a billionaire's library. The engine is a 4.2-liter XK6 straight-six, rated at 162 horsepower and 225 pound-feet.

2014 Jaguar XJR

Jaguar In Its Purest Form
Jaguar has spent a lot of time, money and engineering effort refocusing itself for the modern world. In 2006, the current XK replaced the former XK8 and introduced a new aluminum-intensive chassis architecture to Jaguar's portfolio, and two years later, the XF whipped up a similar overhaul to its classical styling department.
The next major revision came in 2009, with the introduction of the achingly attractive and completely new XJ sedan, and this step struck us as the biggest improvement yet; not only was Jaguar's flagship built atop a cutting-edge platform, it boasted a newfound sense of style that pointed toward the future while still echoing the brand's storied past. This trend has continued most recently with the two-door F-Type that we've already grown quite fond of.

Junkyard Gem: 2005 Jaguar X-TYPE 3.0

During the Premier Automotive Group phase of Ford's ownership of Jaguar, it seemed to make sense to create a Jaguar that non-oligarchs could afford. By taking the Ford Mondeo (sold as the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique on our shores) and adding luxury touches plus Jaguar styling, the X-TYPE came into being and hit American showrooms starting in the 2002 model year. Fast-forward a decade or two and it's no sweat to find entry-level European luxury sedans lined up in your local Ewe Pullet. Here's a decal-enhanced '05 X-TYPE 3.0 AWD I found in a yard near Pikes Peak a couple of months back. This car shows signs of having been loved dearly by its final owner. Since the paint is Topaz Metallic, which is sort of a gold shade, its name became Goldie. Goldie was sweet, it would seem. Perhaps the dripping-blood decal indicates that Goldie's sweetness was alloyed with cruelty. Paw-print, bloody-claw-mark, and Jaguar stickers abound. Goldie has eyes both at the top of the windshield and on the front bumper. Her headlights appear to leak blood. Those who might criticize these customization touches come face-to-face with this message at the windshield's lower edge. How would such a treasured machine end up in a place like this? As we see here, at some point Goldie got hit hard in the right rear, and the crash damage was too severe to be worth fixing. I hope everyone involved was wearing their seat belts. The interior looks to have been pretty nice before junkyard shoppers began prying off trim parts. Someone bought the stick-on hood scoop and the "Leaper" hood ornament. You can't have too many JAGUAR emblems! This is the newest junked Jaguar I've documented; the oldest was a 1969 XJ6. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Sometimes the best part of giving is the thank-you you'll receive.