Jaguar Sovereign 4.2 Series III 1986 - World Of Classic Cars -

Jaguar Sovereign 4.2 Series III 1986

The first Jaguar XJ was launched in 1968 and the designation has been used for successive Jaguar flagship models ever since; the original model was the last Jaguar saloon to have had the input of Sir William Lyons, the company's founder. In late 1979, the XJ was face-lifted again and was known as the 'Series III.' Using the long-wheelbase version of the car, the XJ6 incorporated a subtle redesign; externally, the most obvious changes over the Series II were the thicker and more incorporated rubber bumpers with decorative chrome only on the top edge, flush door handles for increased safety, a one-piece front door glass and a grill with only vertical vanes. There were three engine variants including the 5.3 litre V12 and in 1981, the V12 engine received the new Michael May designed 'fireball' high compression cylinder head engines and were badged from then until 1985 as 'HE' (High Efficiency) models. In 1983, revisions and changes were made across the Series III model range for the 1984 model year, with the Sovereign name being transferred from Daimler to a new top specification Jaguar model, the 'Jaguar Sovereign'.