1990 Jaguar XJ-Series XJ6 Vanden Plas

1990 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas Vanden Plas is the name of coachbuilders who produced bodies for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. Latterly the name became a top-end luxury model designation for cars from various subsidiaries of British Leyland and the Rover Group, last used in 2009 to denote the top-luxury version of the Jaguar XJ8. Direct from the plant in Blackpool, England, we give you the Vanden Plas edition of the Jaguar XJ6. With steel panels covered in black, and some luxurious trappings for the interior, this car is aptly named for the former specialist and upmarket automobile industry manufacturer, now the name branding of the Jaguar luxury market. Driven on the BQE and NY Belt Parkway until 2018, this 4 door car has sat dormant since, so expect some TLC on all fronts. Exterior This year makes the change to a single flush mount Euro spec headlight, but retains the separate chromed grille, and non-integrated bumper version for the exterior. A seemingly solidly built car, in 4 doors, and black with the body showing dents, dings, and some rust, some surface and some invasive. The finish has succumbed to the ages and shows with a heavy fading of the shine and clear coat degradation. Otherwise, the chrome and trim is nicely preserved and is utilized sparingly and tastefully on this car. Standard Jaguar wheels are on all 4 corners and tires are good. Noted is missing side trim from each side spear along with cracking and hazing of both the head and tail light lenses. Interior Barley leather dances with burl veneer, black vinyl and some electronics along with analog gauges and digital readouts. A center panel melts into the center console which houses the AM/FM/Cassette player, seat controls, and shift lever. Looking up, a sagging headliner sports a sunroof in the middle. As we turn our eyes to the rear bench which is wonderfully spacious and has access to the back fold out tray that hides within the back of the buckets up front, and their own centrally located temperature controller. All of the leather seating shows cracking and age wear, with the driver's seat having taken the brunt of the wear. Nice light brown carpet covers the floors, and black carpeted floor mats are protecting this at every corner. Drivetrain An inline 6 cylinder in 4.0 liter format is nicely tucked into an unrestored engine bay. This has Lucas Bosch digital EFI feeding just the right amount of air and fossils. 4 speeds for the ZF 4HP22 automatic transmission, and a 3.58 conventional axle on the rear. We note heavy patina in the engine bay along with some invasive rust making an appearance on the inner fenders. Undercarriage Overall things are structurally sound underneath but not without some surface rust on the usual suspects and some invasive rust to note on the inner rockers and in one of the wheel houses. Independent coil springs for the front and rear suspensions are on to provide the ride, and power disc brakes all around bring the ride to a halt! Drive-Ability For this test drive I decided to have my test driver and pro driver take me for a cruise anywhere other than the test track. We wound our way through the countryside of Berks County, and I was treated to a pleasurable chauffeured experience. A shout out to the stereo which saved me from him droning on about all the features of this beautiful car! But I digress and while this car does need a heaping helping of TLC, it does run and drive. Vanden Plas was known for their upscale chassis, body, and interior modifications to numerous car manufacturers. Then Jaguar took the company for themselves, and began putting their trappings on their high end cars. This is the result of that marriage of brands. Break out the wrenches and bring this one back to its former glory! SAJKY1742LC619851 S-United Kingdom A-Jaguar J-Passenger Car K-XJ Vanden Plas Y-Manual Belts 1-4 Door Sedan 7-4.0 Liter DOHC I6 4-LHD, Automatic 2-Ch