By Greg Kachadurian
This isn’t your typical British Leyland car anymore. This, dear readers, is a custom Pro Street Jaguar XJ6 and it’s looking for a new home in North Carolina (go figure).
Not everyone may have had affection for the Series II Jaguar XJ6 and XJ12, which was known for poor build quality and reliability issues shared with many other cars from the era, but the car’s builder and current owner loved it enough to truly go all out with this thing.
In fact he went so all out that the interior is completely new and custom and whatever engine this particular XJ6 (or XJ12, I really can’t tell) came with originally was dropped in favor of a Chevrolet 454ci V8 paired with a Turbo 400 transmission. It’s an eye-catcher to say the least, and that’s why we love it.
The list price for this Pro Street Jaaaaag is $16,000.
Here’s the owner’s description:
THIS IS A HIGHLY CUSTOMIZED PRO STREET JAG. IT WAS BUILT 8 YEARS AGO WITH NO EXPENSE SPARED. IT IS AN EYE CATCHER AND HAS WON MANY TROPHIES.
IT HAS A V-8 454 CI. CHEVROLET WITH A TURBO 400 TRANSMISSION. THIS DRIVETRAIN WAS PURCHASED WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES.
ALL FABRICATION WORK WAS WELDED BY A LICENSED CERTIFIED WELDER. THE 4 LINK REAR SUSPENSION IS HUNG FROM A CUSTOM FABRICATED FRAME(1 1/2X3 SQUARE TUBING), THAT SUPPORTS THE 9″ SHORTENED REAR-END. THE REAR FRAME CLIP RUNS IN THE TRUNK AND SURROUNDS THE FUEL CELL FOR SAFETY.
DISC BRAKES IN THE FRONT AND DRUMS IN THE REAR.
ALL WIRING COMPLETELY NEW FROM AMERICAN AUTO WIRE.
THE HEADERS WERE CUSTOM FABRICATED AND POWDER COATED, MUFFLERS ARE FLOWMASTER, EXHAUSTING OUT THE SIDE. THE ENGINE PULLEYS AND ALL BRACKETS ARE POWDER WITH ALL POLISHED STAINLESS STEEL BOLTS.
POWER WINDOWS AND POWER SUNROOF. POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING.
THE INTERIOR IS COMPLETELY CUSTOMIZED FROM DASHBOARD, DOOR PANELS, HEADLINER, RUG AND SEATS.
STEREO SYSTEM IS AN AM-FM CASSETTE BY PIONEER WITH A QUAD SPEAKER SYSTEM.
TIRES ARE SPORTSMAN REAR SIZE IS 31/18.50/15LT. ALUMINUM WHEELS ARE ALL CENTERLINE RACING SERIES.THIS CAR IS A WONDERFUL CRUISER. IF YOU WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND REAL COOL, THIS IS IT.
The power windows and power sunroof is a particularly nice touch, though I’m not too sure how useful the radio would be on the go. I also have to agree with the last sentence, as this is truly one of the cooler builds I’ve seen in quite some time, but that’s just me. The seller’s contact info can be found at the original listing.
[Source: Craigslist | Thanks for the tip, Leo!]
Jeff Glucker
"IT WAS BUILT 8 YEARS AGO WITH NO EXPENSE SPARED."
Except for the bit about drum brakes.
While I have no desire to own a Pro-Street anything, I have long lusted for a lumped kitty, particularly in XJ-C form.
My objection to those is, why not keep it a straight six so it at least still sounds right? 2JZ-GEs are cheap and plentiful*, to name just one of many options.
*I realize nothing can compare to the SBC in this regard
While I understand the aversion to the standard SBC conversion, my life is complicated enough even before making the sacrifices necessary to keep my ailing beaters on the road. Thanks to that old hippy John, Suncoast Conversions and a small group of pretenders, SBCs in old XJs are well-proven. This is one situation where I'd be satisfied with taking the road more traveled. If my wife and children left me alone to bide my time in a maintenance provided condo, I might have the wherewithal and patience to be a bit more creative.
Alff
I am a Jag lover and have 4 XJ-C's that you mught be interested in
You can reach me at jb*******@gm***.com or on my cell 703-576-2446
Tom
The purple flames on the air cleaner put it OVER THE TOP!
Further to my mantra that there is a song for everything in life:
[youtube CHVBN3ukp-Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHVBN3ukp-Y youtube]
"This next song . . . is dedicated to me!"
A 454/TH400 with giant wanna-be drag rear tires/wheels and pipes which exit in front of the rear wheels does NOT a pro-street machine make.
How about straight up and through the hood then?
Still no.
Unless it's an ISB boosted/propane-injected within a millibar of its life…and then only "maybe".
Trophy for What?
Most irrelevant conversion?
I admire the execution but not the premise.
Generally speaking, whenever an ad mentions "winning trophies" it means I'm not interested in the car.
I applaud the devotion to a rather unique and singular vision. While its not my particular taste to drive, I appreciate the craftsmanship. Bravo.
It caught my eye all right,
and ripped it out,
stepped on it,
poured acid on it,
and lit it on fire
Excellent but for two things: drum brakes on the rear and too much purple. Other than that..finally a use for these Jags other than artificial reefs.
Terrific..this guy got rid of the three best features of a Jaguar, the independent rear, four-wheel disc brakes and the very comfortable interior. Basically he took most of the best of this car and threw it away. Yeesh.
454 = BBC y'all.
What the hell kind of camera did this person use?
Bunch of tire kickers….blah blah blah….yadda, yadda, yadda. Get over yourselves.