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1974 Jaguar XJ restomod – today’s tempter

V12 swapped for V8

If you were to go hunting for iconic sedans of the past century, Jaguar’s XJ6/XJ12 series would have to be up towards the top of the field.

Elegant, with a sensational ride, very capable handling and decent performance, they were to last far longer than intended in the market, in various forms.

In a feature on the series we note:At its launch, Jaguar’s engineering boss William Heynes said the XJ6 had been designed for a seven-year production run. No-one could have predicted in September 1968 that it would effectively be built for 24 years – and it would be 18 years before a successor was released!”

The XJ6 was not originally intended to accept the company’s V12 and required substantial modification to make it fit. Over time, the XJ12 also became a target for modifiers, keen to replace the complex Jaguar engine with a simpler small block Chevrolet V8. That often turned out to be an effective swap.

This example is just such a car, claiming near enough to 320hp at the wheels and so significantly more lively than the original. 

It seems the car underwent a major rebuild as part of the process and presumably a fair bit of money was thrown at the exercise. It retains it’s typical Jaguar interior.

The car is with the Healey Factory in Melbourne, priced at $60,000.

 

 

 

 

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