If you are thinking of buying a Jag xj6. Forget the ones in Canada - most are rust buckets,... because of winter conditions - they salt the hell out of the roads. No... Save your dough and take a trip to Arizona or California or Washington State. Buy one there, and at least have a good low rust body.
Ship it home or drive it but in the end you will spend less money and not have to settle for a patched up Jag.
How do I know this??
I am a Canadian from Montreal / Vancouver.... living in USA
I own a XJ6 VDP that spent its early life in California then WA St. I have owned it since 1995 Very little rust - what was there - now removed and POR 15 applied.
One of the most expensive repair items you will encounter will be rust repairs. Remember this car does not have a proper frame. its a series of differently shaped boxes welded together. So the integrity of the body is critical especially at suspension mounting points and windshield apertures.
When I lived in Quebec ( "La Belle Province" ) I owned several English sports cars MGs ,TR3s, Bugeye Sprites, ALL of them turned into rust buckets because of the salt that was used on the roads in the winter. A "non salt state " car is what you need as a base to start with... my 2 cents..

 

 

 

A Series III V12 is desirable. In top shape and with everything sorted out, a real treat to own and drive.

But.....very few used V12s are 'sorted out'.

What's your experience level? If you're a reasonably experienced DIY mechanic then the sorting-out process isn't so bad. There's a learning curve, sure, but the end result is quite rewarding.

In good conscience, though, I wouldn't recommend a 30 year old V12 Jag as good stepping-off point to someone just getting his feet wet in the world of DIY auto repair. And, if DIY repairs are not part of the plan, then you're pockets should be rather deep....and you'll have to search for a shop that knows the V12 tricks and quirks.

Cheers
DD

 

 

 

Looks grrrrreat !

Is that black-on-black? Quite rare on a Series III

Cheers
DD

 

 

The very last six-cylinder Series III was built in April 1987, VIN 477824. It was kept by Jaguar.

The last one sold to the public was 477823, sent to Los Angeles in May 1st, 1987

Cheers
DD

 

 

I can't recall the source: perhaps Nigel Thorley? It been in my folder of notes for nearly 20 years.

As for VIN assignment, I'm not sure. It's a fair bet that the VINs were assigned before the car was built. When a bare shell hit station #1 on the assembly line, the VIN (and build spec) was already locked in, I reckon.

Now, if you're asking if a period of time may have elapsed between (let's say) 477823 and 477824, it seems plausible. As far as I know all variants were inter-mingled during production. That is, they didn't use a block of VINs nor a block of time for production xxx-specification models. A V12 German market car may have been on the assembly line after a USA-spec XJ6 and before a Canadian-market Sovereign....and I doubt the VINS were in numerical sequence.

The one exception would have been the last of the Series III V12 cars, circa 1991-92. My understanding is that they were built on they're own dedicated assembly line. These were limited production units and, I presume, so old school that building them together with the then-current XJS and XJ40 cars would've been too difficult.

Hopefully someone will come along with some concrete info.

Cheers
DD

 

The last Series III V12 cars were indeed built on a separate line (this was confirmed to me at Browns Lane by 4 men who actually built these cars on that separate line). These cars were for the UK, Canada, and Germany. The VINs continued sequentially as before with the 1992 cars having numbers into the 48XXXX range. I do not have access to my files at the moment but in a few days I can confirm the last unit numbers.

And with respect, I must disagree with Alyn's statement about Canadian cars in general. Cars from Montreal and Ottawa and Toronto can be a rust disaster; in fact, I bought car #100/100 (the very last V12 Vanden Plas). It came to me from Montreal, so full of bondo-hidden rust that I declined to restore it. But cars from southern British Columbia do not rust...if you see a rusty car in Victoria or Vancouver or Kelowna, it has come from the east. A Series III from Vancouver or Victoria or indeed, Kelowna will be essentially rust-free ( the area around the front and rear screens may have some rust bubbles, but often not). And more modern Jaguars from this geographical area will be totally rust free. My 1988 Taurus (not a Jag in any way...) is completely rust-free despite having been exposed to the elements for every hour of its life. The same is true of our 2002 X-Type. These cars experience a more benign climate (less rain!) than cars south of the border (in Seattle, for example) - and they are not exposed to road salt (the real killer).

 

 

Gismo, what is the paint code? I like black, but have not seen a S3 in black. Thanks!

Jeff H

 

 

 

(This is it today)Image 2
My 85 Series 3 lived in NY where during the wintertime the salt is just as bad.
The PO never drove this car during the winter and as a result I got an almost totally rust free car.
The rust was here.(Image 1)

 

I have had several Series III cars in Jaguar black; as my favourite paint shop sprayer told me regarding my black 1987 V12 VDP, "black is not simply black" and he went on to show me that the Jaguar black of that period had elements of blue and yellow in it. It is a gorgeous, rich colour.
Your black interior is almost unique because a black interior on a Series III (and, for that matter, Series I and II as well) was always a special order. Black and black is one of my favourite combinations.
Your car is beautiful!