More than two years later than initially planned, the Jaguar XJ6 (Xperimental Jaguar) made its debut in the autumn of 1968, replacing, in one fell swoop, all of the current Jaguar saloon models.
A spectacular looking car in every aspect, the XJ6's body was first all-new platform/body shell developed by Jaguar since the early Sixties.
With the XJ 6, Jaguar succeeded, many say for the last time, in bringing together in a single model, standards of ride comfort, passenger tranquillity, driving enjoyment and road holding at a level that they never had quite succeeded in achieving in their previous saloons,
The first XJ6, the Mk 1, came with a choice of two straight-six engines — 2.8 litre and 4.2-litre versions from Jaguar's famous twin-cam XK engine stable.
When they launched it, the development team at Jaguar were well aware that the 2.8 litres could be considered as underpowered but were mindful of the fact that they were a niche in the market among those who were looking for a stylish and exclusive car without the real need for speed.
Irrespective of its engine capacity, the XJ6 was always a big car that needed a lot of manoeuvring,
As a result of consumer feedback, Jaguar began to offer power steering as standard, while providing a choice of manual or automatic transmission, with manual being standard.
T
he particularly graceful styling was classic 'four-headlamp' Jaguar, the interior was lavishly appointed with wood and leather upholstery in the marque's finest traditions.
