Sir William Lyons, the founder of Jaguar, was personally responsible for making our roads a little more beautiful. To recap, he was the lead designer of not only the XK120 but also the original XJ6, seen here in its long-wheelbase 1974 guise. While Lyons didn’t draw or sculpt, he worked with his own panel beaters to literally hammer out the shapes he saw in his head. The shape he came up with in this case was successful enough that it lasted through 1986 and inspired Jaguars for at least another 15 years after that. On the other hand, as beautiful as they are, Jaguars have a reputation of being less reliable than those who don’t need a hobby might like. Yes, Jaguar fans are as defensive as the rest of us when it comes to our favorite cars, but the fact remains that a cottage industry has grown up around Chevy V8 and GM transmission conversions for these beautiful Jags, and this car has been the recipient of a well-done transplant. It’s for sale on eBay in Lombard, Illinois, with no reserve.
It seems that there are two primary players in the conversion game these days: Jaguar Specialties and John’s Cars. While the seller doesn’t mention which supplier was used (there are others, too), you can be certain that it was a painstaking job; too much has been done to the car to mention here, and the advertisement is as thorough and clear as I’ve seen in quite some time. In essence, if it spins, clamps, pumps, or moves, it’s been refurbished or replaced: suspension, driveshaft, brakes, fuel tanks, etc. It’s all been done.
The engine itself is an LT1 from a ’96 Camaro, where it produced 285 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque, and it’s mated to a 4L60E transmission from the same car. The seller says that the car will easily do zero-to-sixty times of six seconds. The air conditioning and heater do what they’re supposed to do, and the car always runs cool, regardless of conditions.
The interior presentation is as nice as the engine compartment, with new instrument panel wood and six “new Speedhut gauges” and a “Dakota Digital cruise control unit.” The owner has put 9,000 miles on the car in the last year, so it’s probably safe to assume that most of the bugs are worked out.
The “L” in XJ6L stands for “long-wheelbase,” and indeed the L was stretched four inches in wheelbase and length to accommodate a little more back-seat room. Fortunately, the added length doesn’t ruin those beautiful lines. While I’m fundamentally a “stock is best” kind of guy, this V8-powered Jag seems like a good combination of Lyons’s sensuous styling and brute power (with better parts availability). With no reserve, someone might get a good deal on a really nice car that’s clearly been owned by someone who sweats the details. That owner might be sweating a bit right now; the high bid as of today is a mere $2,800.
You’re absolutely right @Aaron. The Jaguar XJ6 series were beautifully designed cars. Not only the 4 doors but the 2 door hardtop XJC as well. I also am of the mindset to keep things stock. This is a very well written write up Aaron I really enjoyed it. And I’m kind of curious to see what the comments are going to be( being as how its snowing out right by me now, aren’t we in April???) I’m sure there’s going to be strong opinions both ways about mechanically what was done to this one. I like that they kept it stock in appearance. There’s an old saying “Do the job right, or don’t do it at all” And it certainly seems that this owner did the job right. And having 9000 miles under its belt, well, you can’t ask for a better shake down run than that. A lot of hours went into this V8 conversion, and the fact they did such a high quality of workmanship is terrific. It speaks volumes to me. This would probably count as a rare occasion where I’m all for this conversion. Can you imagaine the surprised look on peoples faces after they catch up to you at the next light after blowing their doors off? ( Not that I’m endorsing any such behavior lol)
You said it well, Driveinstile-Aaron’s narrative and the craftsmanship that went into this particular classic. The drivetrain combination and the added upgrades apparently proved out though it’s got to be a difficult decision to sell considering the car it’s seen.
Cavernous trunk, room to stretch the legs throughout, all with a great drivetrain combination and attention to detail in a good looking 4 door make for the best blend of British craftwork and American muscle.
I completely agree Nevada, I had that thought too, must be a really tough decision to sell this Jag.
If this had stick transmission… what a rocket it would be more than it is now! Those oversize tires indicate getting that extra power to the road!! That power plant transplant was not cheap! $ wise!!
Lovely Salon. The GM relationship is somewhat relevant. I believe the XJS used the venerable Turbo Hydramatic 400 in the Jaguar coupe.
I do know that my ’96 XJR (supercharged) came with the GM tranny, stock.
Nothing worse than a Jaguar sounding like an Impala when you hit the starter.
Now replacing the BW transmission with a 700r4. That is a vast improvement.
It looks as if this Jag owner preferred to drive the car. Instead of staring into the bonnet every other week. It’ll be interesting to see what this Cat goes for.
Nice car. Too bad I don’t need an extra one right now. 🫤
Jag sixes have always been so much better then the twelves. Despite that, this seems like a nicely done conversion. I wonder why the six was axed. Did it go bad or just lose favor? Either way, this should be more reliable, than a 12 at least.
Jerry, the most common reason I know of is that running the air conditioner in US summers put a load on the 6 that blew head gaskets. I had one 30 years ago and replaced the head gasket twice. This looks like a great car, and I’m bidding on it. We’ll see how it goes. Will park it beside my 95 XJ6 if I’m lucky! Wife says I can’t have another car, but I think she’ll forgive me!
Looks great. There’s a link to two driving videos on eBay, it sounds good and looks to pull hard. Lots to like here, for sure.
We owned an XJ6.
We loved that car.
We hated that car.
We loved that car.
We hated that car
We loved that car.
We hated that car.
I didn’t put it in, but in 1980 or so, I worked on an “old style” Jag 2 door with a Chevy V-8. He said he wanted it to run all the time so he put in a Chevy engine.
Paint this British Racing Green and ladies and gentlemen, you would have a stunning as well as reliable motor car.
Unfortunately a fair return on investment is the down side of this conversion especially at no reserve.l’ll buy in a heartbeat. Who has to know what’s under the hood.
I’m very curious if this is the same Jag I owned in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Same color, same interior, had a small block Chevy 400 with TH400 trans. Car needed work (paint, upholstery, etc.), but very solid rust-free body, sold it to work on another project. And at the time I lived in the west/southwest suburbs of Chicago. Hmmm…?
I have owned dozens of Jags for over 40 years now. Including Lots of XJ6s of all vintages. Had a daily driver 1972 series 1 for 30+ years that I towed a Maserati sports racer with all over the west coast. It had 477,000 miles on it when I sold it. XK DOHC 6 is a beast of a motor. Very overbuilt, huge crank, 7 massive main bearings. The motors are not the problem. That motor won LeMans 3 times, and powered the entire Jaguar line, sports cars, sedans, for 30 years. Pretty awsome piece of engineering actually. And they were lovely to look at as well.
This is how it should have been built all along
I’m not a friend of these conversions. An engine characterizes a car. And this one should either have the straight six or V12.
Sold on 4/17/2025 for a high bid of $10,200.
Steve R