1986 Jaguar XJ-Series XJ6 Vanden Plas

1986 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas 4 Door Saloon The Vanden Plas company started in 1870 in Belgium by blacksmith Guillaume van den Plas who initially built axles and carriages. In the 1920's, they were the primary coachbuilder for Bentley, and in the 1930's, supplied coachwork to a number of manufacturers including Alvis, Daimler, Lagonda, Rolls-Royce, and Talbot. It was first used at Jaguar in 1982. For consignment, a 1986 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas 4 door saloon showing 43,750 miles, but the true miles are unknown. The XJ6 gained a strong reputation over the years and so, despite the fact that the XJ40, (internal code name), was essentially a brand new model, Jaguar obtained to retain the old model name XJ6. Testdrivejunkie.com Exterior It's not the quad headlights that render this car instantly recognizable, plenty of classic cars have those. It's the low, sleek profile combined with quad headlights that negate comparison with any other car. Call it a crouching cat-like profile, the narrow panels are adorned here with Antelope Metallic, a shade of fawn paint that looks just right. There's that quintessential grille, topped by the iconic leaping cat ornament, pouncing even as the car stands still. Rear features include dual fuel doors, tail lights that contour perfectly the body gaps, and flare ended dual chrome tips for exhaust. 15-inch chrome wire wheels carry 205/70R15  tires with a late 2023 date code, so you're all set! Imperfections include an overall dullness to the paint and crazing throughout, especially on horizontal surfaces. There are scratches, the occasional surface rust spot, dings, and scuffs all carefully photographed. Interior We hate overusing words, but handsome is fitting for this Jaguar interior that starts on the well designed door panels with doeskin leather bodies topped by a burlwood inserts on black widow sills, housing a robust storage bin and door pull and all four are excellent. Broad beige leather buckets seats welcome front and rear occupants in very good shape and nicely contrasted by the plush, taupe carpet. The black steering wheel fronts a burlwood fronted instrument cluster and dashboard with a nice gauge layout and in the center stack, Jag's familiar green tabbed info center over an AM/FM/Cassette radio. Then, the typically petite shifter is in the center console where we note some peeling wood laminate that surround the chrome ashtrays and shifter base. Our headliner that surrounds the sunroof has some loose spots also apparent on the visors too. Meanwhile, the trunk is clean and fully finished in taupe carpet.  Drivetrain Under the hood is a driver quality 4.2 liter DOHC inline six cylinder, rated at 176 horsepower and mated to a BW66 3-speed automatic transmission that routes power to the rear axle and 2.88 gears.   Undercarriage Surface rust, soot, and minimal residual oil is found underneath an otherwise clean and intact underside.  Some undercoating is peeling on the driver's front flooring showing some slight surface rust, but otherwise things are looking good. Power disc brakes are supplied to all four wheels and independent suspension utilizes coil springs front and rear. The single exhaust flows through original equipment mufflers and resonators on its way to the chrome outlets.  Drive-Ability We set out in this sleek cat and marvel at the fantastic balance of the car and ultra comfortable interior, evidence of why this body style lasted so long. The six cylinder provides good power and the car tracks straight and handles well, just like the nimble jungle cat for which is what it is named. We note the A/C doesn't work, the power antenna doesn't retract, and the left rear power window is also not working, beyond that, all functions operate as intended. While Classic Auto Mall represents that these functions were working at the time of our test drive, we cannot guarantee these functions will be working at the time of your purchase. Outside of some paint s