Mystery car pix

kyfdx

The engine..

V-12 vs. I-6

One of my favorites, as well.. go figure..

texases

OK, you two had your Wheaties this morning, I get it. I like the style, not the fear of impending mechanical doom, and I guess I should have been more precise in my question - what makes this an XJ12C and not an XJ6C, as far as the picture goes?

kyfdx

OH.. in that case.. I'm just guessing..

All of the coupes that I've seen are V-12s.. they might have made six-cylinder coupes, but I haven't seen any..

ateixeira

Odds are the more valuable 12 cylinder models are more likely to be preserved simply because they're worth more.

Mr_Shiftright

The fire engines coming down the street?

Acually I was wrong...the two door coupe sells for a few thousand more than the sedan.

I don't think you can tell from profile...you'd have to look at badging. the wheelbase is the same for 6 or V-12.

The car in profile the photo looks better than in real life profile, where most folks find it rather clunky. But front and rear views are the typically attractive XJ6 design.

Don't know about the 12 being more likely for preservation. They are such PITA that most people shy from them. Devilish to work on, prone to fire and overheating, and $$$ to fix....and really, not much difference in performance. Also gas hogs.

Time will tell, I don't know how the survival rate will shake out---so far, only a few high priests are preserving the eternal flame.

Now a V-12 roadster, that's a different cauldron of fire...er...kettle of fish......

texases

The coupe was apparently quickly recognized as troublesome, so says Motorbase: "In 1975 Jaguar took the bold decision to start production of its elegant 2 door coupe XJ6C, two years after it had first shown it to the press and public. Based on the short wheel base floor pan of the XJ6 saloon the coupe featured a clever pillarless glass side profile, although this caused many wind noise problems!

The XJ6C used only the 4.2 litre XK engine in this guise, although a V12 powered, XJ5.3C ran alongside it throughout its production life. Standard equipment included all of the usual electric "goodies" and a highly fashionable Vinyl roof, which also helped disguise the thickness of the rear C-posts. Unfortunately this beautiful Jaguar coupe suffered as a result of poor build quality and was quietly dropped from the model line-up in 1977, after just two years in production."

andys120

they might have made six-cylinder coupes, but I haven't seen any..

You're looking at one, the car in the picture is a UK spec 1977 XJ6C. No doubt the market in Britain was the reverse of here where the 12s outnumbered the 6s by two or three to one (I'm guessing).

There's a simple reason which we can all relate to now, high gas prices.

BTW that color...er..colour is called Green Sand.

Mr_Shiftright

Jaguar actually had to take the coupe off the market for a year because they had so much trouble with sealing the body and glass.

andys120

urnews

Looks like a super fine example of a nice Chrysler, maybe a 1952. Early '50s anyway.

andre1969

I'm guessing a '53-54 Chrysler Windsor Club Coupe?

andys120

Yep, it's a '54 Windsor.

seminole_kev

I know I say it everytime it comes up, but I love the coupe version of the XJ6. Not a fan of vinyl tops, but otherwise, a good looking car. I've been tempted in the past to try and pick an early one up. I figure as long as the unique trim and interior bits are intact, you could keep it running with all the regular XJ6 parts that are available. However, I don't have enough time for my one needy girl, let alone a second!

andre1969

That hardtop Jag is starting to grow on me, but I do have to admit a preference for the 4-door version. I think the biggest problem here is that it looks like Jag put a lot of effort into the sedan, to make it look really good and properly proportioned, but then the coupe just looks like it was thrown together with as little effort as possible.

That's a sharp contrast to domestic cars, where it seemed like they'd often try to style the coupe version first, and put the most effort into that, and then cobble the sedan version together as a bit of an afterthought. I guess the rationale at the time was that people HAD to buy sedans, so they weren't that concerned about what they looked like, whereas the coupes sold more on style.

andys120

kyfdx

'63 Ranchero?

kyfdx

Good point...

The XJ sedan is one of the best looking 4-doors, ever...

But, during the '70s, 4-doors just weren't cool... It is no surprise that they made a coupe out of it.

seminole_kev

Jag has made some beautiful 4 door sedans

urnews

Clearly the Falcon version of the larger Ranchero but I forget what they called it. Early 1960s?

kyfdx

I always thought the Falcon version was the original Ranchero... They didn't get bigger until later, right?

Just guessing, though...

seminole_kev

Yeah I remember it being the same. That the Falcon spawned the Ranchero and then grew into the later, larger, uglier, fatter...well I could keep going on but, version.

andre1969

went to the intermediate Fairlane platform for 1966. It's a little known fact, but the Falcon actually went to that platform as well, abandoning the original 1960-65 compact platform. It was still considered a compact car, but became basically a truncated Fairlane. It was about as wide as a Fairlane, but shorter in the wheelbase and rear overhang.

Now there was also a full-sized Ranchero that was offered from 1957-59, based on the standard-sized Ford platform. They used a 2-door wagon as the basis for it.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh a 70s era XJ6-based car will bring you to tears---don't do it! They are soooo bad. The E Type would seem like a Toyota Camry in relative reliability.

andys120

ateixeira

Is that a Toyota Altezza? Or a cheap chinese-made knock off?

andys120

Wow than one lasted a whole 4 minutes. Yep, it's the Altezza on which the first gen Lexus IS was based.

texases

Too true, a friend sold his near-new one when the monthly repair bills exceeded the monthly car payments. :sick:

andys120

Have at it>



If you have access to an Opera browser you may be able to name the cars parked up the street as well as the traffic in the foreground.

fintail

Hmmm...at far left there's one of those '58-59 Plymouth (or Dodge?) taxis, another taxi in front of it. For cars going forward, I see a 58 Caddy, with a 60 El Camino behind it. The car just missing the speeding taxi looks like a 57 Ford wagon. To the right we have what looks like another 57 Ford, and the black car speeding away is the 62 Dodge (or Plymouth) driven by Spencer Tracy. I am at work, so I have to use IE - the resolution seems poor compared to home.

urnews

I see a white 1961 Chevrolet in the foreground, a blue 1958 Caddy in front of it, a 1957 Ford Country Squire "woody" station wagon in front of that, an orange 1959 Plymouth taxicab, a blue 1957 Ford and a black 1961 Plymouth cop car driven by Spencer Tracy. Great movie with lots and lots of cars.

bumpy

texases

I think it's an Abyssinian

stever

Just in time for Star Mule Days in the next town over from me. There's even an auto show on Saturday June 2. :P

bumpy

but we can give them one humongous repair bill.

andys120

Well I'm pretty sure that's a Fotd F-150 on top, the one it's trying to mate with must be a Ferrari 360 Modena.

Here's another red Italian>

boomchek

Looks like a 1954 Moretti Gran Sport but it isn't. The front end is slightly different.

The red car in the back is a Seat Arosa (VW Lupo twin). The one beside it is some kind of a Lancia (Aurelia?).

Mr_Shiftright

Yep an Aurelia.

The red one kinda looks like a Ferrari Inter 212.

andys120

You're right about the black car, it's almost certainly an Aurelia, the modern red car looks more like a Fiat Uno or Punto but I can't see enough to be sure.

You've got the right vintage for the red GT but it's a Cisitalia 303, not a Moretti.

andys120

kyfdx

mid-60s Grand Prix?

ateixeira

Also note the BMW 7 series behind that animal.

british_rover

List of possible jokes to go along with that picture...



I told you iDrive was too complicated.

BMW trys out there new green propulsion technology.

It was cheaper to buy and feed all the mules for a year then to replace nikasil engine block.

ateixeira

Counterpoint jokes.

Yeah, but the emissions...

At least it also mows my lawn now.

I'm also not really diggin' that new car smell.

Mr_Shiftright

Take down that banner. I can't see my dealer!

ateixeira

Better off road than the X5!

andys120

mid-60s Grand Prix?

Yep, better looking than a donkey, isn't it?

andys120

Mr_Shiftright

Is that the infamous VW Slasher?

tmart

V-Dub Dasher

ateixeira

In Brazil that was sold as a VW Passat.