I am looking into buying a birth year Jaguar 420G. I think they look incredible. If I can find one with low miles, all the better. I am willing to put some money into restoration work, but I'd love a review from someone who knows these cars well. And what is a good general range of what to expect in regards to a price.

What to look for, what normally would be a cause for alarm that is easy to miss, if there would be a better year and why, etc.

I thank you for your time and attention.

 

Welcome to the forum edolecki,

I haven't even driven a 420G in over forty years so I'll leave it to those members with more recent experience!

Have to agree, it's still a beautiful car.

Graham

 

OK, sorry, I've never driven one of these cars, but there may be a few people who look at this forum who have done. There are very few of these cars around now; they were very poor sellers when in production, and were never cherished like the sports cars.

Jaguar followed a basic principle in the 60s which was to keep the mechanical parts, (engine tranny, axle, suspension), as common between their different models as much as possible. This means many parts used in the other models are suitable for the 420G, (which was only made in penny packets compared to the Mark 2). However the body is unique and unfortunately, with no restoration demand, panels are very hard to obtain, so restoration means you are on your own to a very large extent. And, of course, there is that Jaguar Achilles Heal, RUST. These cars rust royally and repairs are very difficult. I hope I haven't put you off too much, but it's important you understand what you might be getting into.
On the other hand, you may find one already restored, the best way to start.

 

Would an older xj6 be a more sound purchase? The curved bonnets are very nice and parts must be plentiful?

 

It was sometimes said at Jaguar that the XJ6 of 1968 was the 420G with the air let out !!

An XJ6 has a better spares back-up, and many of the body panels carried on until the car ceased production in 1986, (the V12 carried on until 1992). Early XJ saloons had some panels that are different on the later cars, but in the main the bodyshell stayed the same, although you need to check Series 3 panels.

Mechanically the cars changed gradually over the years but much of the car just carried on for its 25 years of production. 1968-1986 for the sixes and 1992 for the V12s.

So restoration is a lot easier than a 420G, but will still be a big undertaking. You'll need a large garage and many tools.