We all have that dream of cracking open a barn door and finding a vintage car or truck inside; the fantasy is even better when the vehicle in question is actually of some value to you personally or to the collector car market in general. When the seller of these two rare coupe-bodied Jaguar XJ6Cs found them sitting here in the dusty confines of a barn or garage in Washington State, he didn’t necessarily hit the jackpot but he definitely found two cars that should be easy to re-home. Find the white 1977 XJ6C above here on craigslist and a second red 1975 example also listed here on craigslist.
The two-door XJS is one of those unusual classics that is worth a fair amount in survivor and/or restored condition, but pretty cheap to buy as a project. In my opinion, there’s some decent upside to them when acquired in project-grade form, because even with the notoriously maintenance-hungry drivetrains, there’s enough collective experience out there that putting one back on the road isn’t as challenging as it may have once been. Plus, there’s always the V8 swap option. This white coupe features one of the best color combinations out there, but the seller does acknowledge that the floors will need replacing – an unusual issue in the typically rust-free Pacific Northwest.
The red ’75 model is listed with its engine and transmission health as being in unknown condition, just like the white coupe, but rust doesn’t seem to be as much of a concern. Given the limited info provided about either car, I would assume the seller would reveal if the earlier model had similar corrosion issues. The white car also had some rust bubbling in addition to the passenger-side floor rot, but this coupe doesn’t appear to have the same concerns in the body panels. Underbody shots show some surface rust on the suspension components, but nothing worse than that.
The red XJ6C has a pretty biscuit leather interior, which, like the white coupe, appears to be in very good condition. It would seem a reasonable assumption that these Jaguars have been indoors for some time as the interiors have not perished to any significant degree. The engine bays also appear complete on both cars, and each one comes with some minor bonuses in terms of accessories: the ’75 has aftermarket knock-off wheels and the ’77 has the elusive OEM mudflaps. The ’75 is listed for $3,500 and the ’77 for $3,000 – would you take one or both of these pretty two-doors home?
These Jags are the Belladonna’s of the auto world. Beautiful to behold, but deadly to your bank account.
Fair asking price for a XJC. Perfect candidate for a Chevy V8 swap.
What a shame to see to cars just sitting there. Lets EV one and LS the second one.
Can we PLEEZE stop 🛑 with all the LS and SBC swap baloney! Little original thought would be refreshing!!
Yes, these cars are a little heavy aren’t they? Better off with a big block Chevy.
Correct. They basically have the 4.2 litre E-type engines, I believe. That was a great engine, especially with triple SUs. Bulletproof if given proper care. It was the electrics on these cars, not the mechanics.
Exactly.
Along with the EV crud, too.
Pretty fair asking prices and sheet metal for the floors and parts arfe readily available. Appears these have been repainted as both have the vinyl tops removed which were oem at the factory….Always love the lines of these XJC’s…Not a fan of the engine swaps as these 6 cyl are easy to work on and have excellent power. Hope someone saves the pair
from a maintenance standpoint, I’d take the 75 over the 77…less electronic issues (not that its free from them, just less of the 77’s relays that run relays that run relays that…). From the aesthetic standpoint, I’d take the 77. I love white over red….
The reason the interiors are in such good shape is they don’t stay running long enough to wear the material out.
The city they are outside of is a known flood zone so definitely inspect in person make sure they are outside the flood area . I would consider checking into them for maybe $1000 for the pair so if they did wind up scrap it wouldn’t be so bad on the loss not sure what the parts are worth.
The white one looks like a car that came from the upper Mid-west with all that bubbled paint. With rusted floors, too, run, don’t walk away.
Correction: the drivetrains in any XJ6 are not at all maintenance hungry. The engine and rear ends are bullet proof. The weak link, if there is one, is the US made transmission.
The electronics in the Ser. II era of these coupes, on the other hand, can be a real pain to sort. But that isn’t any different from any other European, or American for that matter, cars of the era when our lust for ever more luxurious features outpaced the technology to support them. Even the BMWs and Mercedes of the mid- to late-70s were fraught with electronic gremlins. I know; I’ve owned several of each.
Regarding restoration worthiness, there is a great deal of online support, and spare parts are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. If these were sedans/saloons maybe I’d think differently, but since they’re coupes, they are definitely worth the money and effort to restore.
I’m driving my third XJC. It’s an L98 converted in the 90’s and I bought it that way for the ease of maintenance here in Maine. The first was the very rare V12 in the 70’s, and the second a 6. Both were hampered by the awful transmission, and now we know those earlier V12’s notorious cooling issues came down to defective thermostats as supplied. The 6 cylinder car benefited from a complete rebuild and got ROW carbs, higher compression pistons, better cams, an oil cooler and a GM transmission. Night and day difference, and no electrical issues. All in all, I’d remotor the current coupe with Jaguar power if I could, probably the turbocharged AJ16 4 liter 6.
I’ve posted these cars to all the relevant FB pages I’m on because someone here or in the UK will snap them up. I would myself but I really like the second wife and this house.