Series 2 XJ6/12
1973 - 1979

September 1973 saw the announcement that a Series II Jaguar was to be released along with a Coupe model. There was never a doubt that the Series I's were a good car for its time, selling over 98,000 cars, but with new ideas and modifications always coming forward along with the constant changes needed to conform with new North American regulations, it was decided to release a new, more refined model of motor car, the Series II.

Engines

The saloons came with a choice of three engines. The 3.4 litre (introduced in May 1975, to fill the gap of the 2.8-litre engine dropped with the demise of the Series I), the 4.2-litre and the 5.3-litre V12. Small changes were made to the engines since the days of the Series I's. These included a new air cleaner on the six-cylinder cars. A thermostatically controlled exhaust heater air intake system to reduce exhaust pollution. New solid exhaust down pipes were used instead of the flexible ones. Fan-cooled battery housings were standard for all cars. These used to be used only on V12's because of the problems with the heat affecting the battery, particularly in the States. May 1975 saw the introduction of fuel injection for V12 models giving better fuel economy and more power.

WAV File 69k big (7 sec, 11kHz, Mono)

WAV File 173k big (16 sec, 11kHz, Mono)

Appearance

Externally, the Series II's were significantly different from the I's. The front bumper was raised by 4 inches, in line with North American regulations. This made the top grill narrower giving the front end view of the car as a more sleeker, lower to the ground look. The indicators were moved below the bumper instead of above. One view of the car that did not change too much was the side view. A coach- line was still available on V12 models running from the front to the back. Vanden Plas models has a chrome strip instead. A new wheel design was introduced, these were either painted or chromed.

The rear of the car saw little change. The rust prone number plate light was removed from the bumper and placed underneath the boot plinth. The gothic lights stayed the same as well as the reversing lights.

Interior

The inside of the Series II's changed a lot. A new dashboard was designed giving the driver a clear view of six closely positioned dials directly in front of them. The centre switch gear was removed and placed on and around the steering column. The lighting for the switches was done by fibre optics eliminating the problem of dozens of small bulbs needing wiring up. The electric window switches were made bigger but their positions stayed in the centre console. The trim level was also altered giving more comfortable and larger arm rests. A laminated windscreen was now standard across the range as well as tinted glass on Daimler models.

Even though the series II's were a more refined car than the Series I's, one big factor hung over them, British Leyland. Their take over resulted in the dropping of quality and customers started to complain. Poor quality control, poor quality parts and a lack of morale in the work force were the reasons for these complaints, but still the cars were produced. Bodies were badly prepared and painted as was the chrome work. Badly fitting panels and electrical problems were as their worst on the II's. Despite this, there are still a lot of Series II's around today, when was the last time you saw a 70's Datsun Bluebird?

A couple of shots of some fine looking II's

Available Models

There was a large selection of models to choose from during the six years that the Series II's were in production, ranging from the 3.4 Jag up to the luxurious Daimler VDP V12, resulting in over 120,000 cars being made (including the coupes). The following table shows the range breakdown of the XJ's, excluding Coupes.

It is interesting to note that there was only 1 Daimler Vanden Plas Coupe ever made and it is believed to be still in existence somewhere in Germany, does anybody know anymore info???

March 1979 saw the end of production of the Series II's, it was time to release a new breed of cat out into the wild, the Series III.

If you think of any alterations or amendments that need to be made to this page. please mail me and I will do my best to for fill your requirements.

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Last updated on 03/08/00 by Henry Fok. Send your comments to: spectre@jag-lovers.org. Send any ideas or comments to Chris Mortimer

Additional interior picture by Rick Taillieu