STUNNING 1977 DAIMLER/Jaguar 5.3 V12 DOUBLE SIX PILLERLESS COUPE 32,000 MILES

PRESENTING

An exclusive opportunity to acquire one of the finest. if not the finest. original examples of the car considered to be Jaguar/Daimler's rarest production model ever.

A Daimler Double Six 5. 3 V12 Two Door Coupe.

309th built out of a total worldwide production of just 407.

1977 with cherished registration number (BXI 22) and just 32. 00 miles from new.

Acquired by its last owner in 1986 after many years of searching for the 'Holy Grail' of Double Six coupes.

Hardly used during the early years of his ownership but cherished. kept under cover and never taken out in the wet before slight refurbishment during the late eighties to bring it to showroom condition.

Then correctly dry stored. kept under covers and not used since the early nineties.  

The present owner has maintained the care of the car. keeping it in a heated garage and in the 18 months of his ownership it has been driven only 2000 miles.

Today this rare. highly desirable. exceedingly sought after and truly beautiful flagship model of the Daimler/Jaguar coupe range is presented in exemplary condition with the vast majority being original and now 37 years old.

Amongst the very best of the best original examples available it is almost certain that an opportunity to acquire such a low mileage Daimler Double Six Coupe in this condition will never present itself again.

BXI 22

Originally registered with an S suffix on the 26th October 1977. BIX 22 was the 309th Daimler Double Six coupe to be made and around the 70th from the last right hand car off the production line.

Finished in the colour combination that by far suits the coupe best. Regency Red with biscuit leather and factory black vinyl roof.

According to research undertaken by the last owner and recorded by him for the history file the first owners were a wealthy London family and the car stayed in their possession with just one driver. albeit ownership transferred between family members a couple of times for apparent tax advantages. until 1983 when it was purchased by a Devon company based in Ashburton specialising in the supply of prestige and executive motor vehicles.   The mileage then. confirmed by them to the last owner as genuine and having history to support. nbsp;was just 12. 00 miles.

The car was resold a few weeks later in 1983 for £12. 00 to a local man who in effect became the second owner.   between 1983 and 1986 when it was acquired by the last owner BIX 22 changed hands between local Devon owners. each time through the same garage in Ashburton who kept a documented history of the changes. the service history and the mileages.

One of the owners. a barrister with a second home in Devon. had the car for just 3 weeks and when it had covered 22. 00 miles before he found that it would not fit into his London garage.   Worried about vandalism with his profession he asked the dealer to buy it back. which they were more that happy to do.

BIX 22 was resold by the Devon dealer again to its final owner before the last in mid 1986 with 28. 00 miles on the clock; the mileage on the 1985 MOT was 27. 37.   That owner lost his job in the oil industry shortly after he purchased it and he was forced to dispose of the car.

All of the above history was confirmed to the last owner by the Devon dealer and recorded in writing at the time by him.   A copy of this is in the history file.

The Devon dealer went on to confirm that they had a complete and detailed history of the car except for a 6 month period in 1986 when in the care of the oil industry worker and. they say. it would seem that it was at that time that the comprehensive service history which was with the vehicle was lost.

The Ashburton dealer had done most of the servicing of the car and that there was a full service history with it when they last sold it.   They also gave their opinion on BIX 22 to the last owner.   He also recorded at the time in his notes in the file:

"An absolutely and exceptional car of the sort never [hardly] used from new.   It is as fine example as one is ever likely to find. "

In September 1986 BIX 22 was acquired by a renowned classic and historic sports car dealer in Hertford Heath. Hertfordshire. who are incidentally still going strong offering exceptional cars today.

The last owner had had a prolonged search for the very best Daimler Double Six during the course of which he had viewed and rejected many cars.

In the autumn of 1986 he saw a full page advert taken out by the Historic car dealer in Supercar Classics magazine which featured BIX 22.   The advert. copy in the file. had this to say about the car:

"Not my personal car advertised recently. but an embarrassingly better example in Regency Red.  Virtually. one family ownership. 29. 000 miles only.   Wax-oiled from new. air conditioning. only 360 (not so easy to check exact numbers then with no internet) built and this is surely one of the finest. truly outstanding throughout. "

When the last owner saw the advert he had a feeling that his search for the perfect Double Six coupe could well be over - one look at the car - and he knew instantly that it was!

On 7th December 1986 the new owner from Loughborough. then in his late fifties. collected BIX 22 from Hertfordshire.   The mileage. supported by an MOT certificate dated September 1986 confirms the claim in the advert of 29. 27.

When BIX 22 got back to Loughborough it was confined to the owners triple garage which had electric roller doors and was heated.   By November 1987 the mileage on the MOT was just 29. 63. five hundred more than when he had bought it.  

BIX 22 was never intended by its new owner to be a car for everyday use. he had other cars for that.   In fact. he intended to use it only on high days and holidays. and only then if no rain was forecast - which is exactly what he did for the first 2 or 3 years.

He was a very meticulous man.   Although he had found the most excellent example he possibly could. the car by 1986 was 9  years old and had travelled nearly 30. 00 miles.   He wanted to bring it back to near showroom condition whilst keeping the car as original as possible. which had always been his intention and the exact reason why he had taken so long to find the very best Double Six coupe that he could.

In July 1989 the car was taken to a Jaguar specialist in Leicester with the instruction to service and go through the car 'correcting anything you find wrong. '

This was done and as a result along with service items the radiator. water pump and steering rack were replaced.   Copy of the invoice in the file with mileage recorded at 30. 51.   MOTs in the file support this: 30685 in 1990. 30. 76 in 1992 and 30. 79 in 1994.   Except for the journey to the MOT station the car had not been used since 1992. and dry stored thereafter.   It was last taxed in 1994 until it was acquired by the present owner.

Around the same time as the service was carried out in 1989 the current registration plate of BIX 22 was transferred to the car.   Just prior to the number plate change a high quality bodyshop was commissioned to do a full written report on the condition of the bodywork.   A copy of their report is in the file and the salient points are listed below under the bodywork section of this listing.

In 1994 the owner noticed some minor bubbling to the internal boot floor in the usual place in the spare wheel well.   Fearful that the bubbling may not be confined to just the boot floor and that it was possibly a tell-tale sign of something more sinister hidden behind the rear apron. he had most of that perfectly good panel cut out to allow inspection behind.   As this involved removal of the screw on quarter panels and seeing as how he was going to have to buy a new genuine rear apron panel and have it painted anyway the meticulous owner also bought a new genuine Jaguar replacement quarter panels thinking that he would have these fitted rather than refitting the old ones.

He need not have worried  -  cutting out the panel as it turned out was in vain. except for the peace of mind that it brought the. by his own admission somewhat fanatical. owner.   All areas below the rear apron were perfect and the waxoyl here had done its job there as well as it had for the rest of the car.

The owner had the minor bubbling to the boot floor cut out to way beyond the affected area which would/has ensured no recurrence of the problem.

The owner was by this time approaching retirement and had every intention of having the new genuine panels refitted to the car. the boot spare wheel well floor repaired and the back end below the bumpers repainted so that BIX 22 would once again be back in showroom condition.

However. at that time he was offered an Aston Martin Lagonda.   Another car of his dreams and one that he had been looking for. for longer than he had searched for a Double Six.

The owner. whose time and perhaps emotions were taken up with the Lagonda. laid BXI 22 up in its heated garage where it stayed until it was acquired by a dealer in classic cars. David Roberts. who had his bodyshop conclude the work started almost 20 years before.   The owner provided him with a copy of a thorough and detailed independent inspection and report carried out by a classical vehicle specialist engineer.

The significant points. of which there were few are listed below with action required if any.   Many were just advisory but were rectified anyway by a Jaguar specialist (marked(R) in the list below:

Paint work panelling.

Edges in the paint finish signatory to paint reinstatement after the car departed the manufacturing environment.   Paint finish generally well received with no signs of any misuse or neglect.   Door retainer straps tired and lower trailing corner of driver's door not quite total flush fit.

No rear bumper or aprons in situ.   (R) Refitted and painted in correct colour.

Near side fuel tank cannot be used due to corroded pipe.   (R) New pipe fitted.

Suspect new front wings as colour in gully rail and bolts differ.   (R) Gulley and bolts repainted by our bodyshop.

Area of metal missing in boot floor.   (R) Invisible repair using new metal.

Stone chip front screen very low down (advisory in report but no action required for MOT).

Front suspension anti roll bar bushes surface hardened and cracked commensurate with age.   Advisory.   (R) Rather than just change the rubbers the Jaguar specialist both complete front ball joint assemblies.

Suspension swivel gaiters split.   Advisory.   (R) Replaced.

Front underside generally good although some light corrosion at stone plate under radiator and surrounds.   Advisory.   (R) Steam cleaned and painted black.

Spare tyre partially deflated.   (R) We blew it up!

Number plate light. o/s main beam light. horn not working. wipers sometimes will not stop and are erratic. washers mandatory rectification as all MOT failure items. (R) All items fixed with new parts where necessary.

A. C. U. air conditioning mediocre at best suspect needs re-gasing.   Advisory (R) System changed to legal and refillable type 34 and re-gased. now working perfectly.

Engine transmission oil leaks. easing of engine oil from cambox cover base gaskets areas and surrounds sump box fouled with oil common on these big vee twelves. Advisory.   Easing of hypoid oil from final drive shaft input spigots to the differential (rear axle) but no dripping leaks sighted. (R) our Jag guys say they have fixed them.   The car has been standing in the same position in our garage for 3 days at the time of writing and not a drop from the engine. transmission or rear axle.

Road test.   Local roads with speed limits throughout.   Engine and steering characteristically responsive with no steering wander or weave seen or felt.   brakes pulled up squarely when tested.   Automatic transmission functioned normally for us when tested including torque convertor. low ratios. park and reverse plus kick down.   No coolant overheat or anything sinister seen of felt by us during this particular road test.   wear on suspension. engine and transmission commensurate with this indicated mileage.

End of report.

A copy of the full report is in the history file and whereas its content is not fully listed here all faults and defects found. no matter how minor they may appear to be. are.   The engineer who carried out the inspection over several hours was verbally very complimentary about the car.

BODYWORK

BXI's bodywork is presented in outstanding and remarkable rust free condition.   It has no been restored but from an already exceptional starting point had refurbishment work done 25 years ago in an attempt to bring it back to showroom condition whilst retaining originality as much as possible.   It would seem that even the most passionate of enthusiasts may not have been deemed the majority of this work necessary but the fastidious previous owner wanted to leave nothing to chance.

Apart from the finishing work below the rear bumper detailed above absolutely nothing else has been done to the body of paint work since 1988/9. Twenty five years on its condition now is testimony to the quality of the car to start with and the work that was done then.   There are no signs of rust or body repairs since the work was done.

"The car was thoroughly examined and found to be in exceptional condition due to having been liberally waxoyled from new and carefully maintained.   The customer's instructions were to bring the bodywork to 'showroom standards excluding [chrome] trim which apart from some dulling to the bumpers [polished out] is in A1 condition.

Some rusting of the wheel arches and headlamp inner area. nbsp; These were restorable but front wings [bolt on] were replaced at the customer's request with new genuine Jaguar parts.   Rear wings. underside and outer edges stripped to bare metal.   Doors. small areas of superficial rust due to stone chips ground back to bright rust free metal.   Sills stripped and found to be free of rust. filled with engine oil and drained then 3 coats of smooth Hammerite applied to the exterior.

Front and rear aprons. small area of surface rust to front due to stone chips. otherwise both rust free.   Both coated internally with Hammerite and waxoyled.   Front grill area some stone chips around inner headlights but no rust.

Various. all hidden areas were found to be waxoyled and rust free.   Further liberal coatings of clear waxoyl applied.

Chrome strips removed. There were no signs of rust and waxoyl was applied inside the strips and fixings.

the boot and bonnet were unblemished and the remainder of the car had some minor blemishes which were corrected and the entire car was re-sprayed in Regency Red. "

End of report.

Boot. bonnet and door shuts are in excellent condition.   The factory fitted vinyl roof has not discoloured and is in perfect condition.   Chrome including the bumpers is first class.

There are four unmarked Kent alloy wheels.   All the tyres have good tread and period correct Avons and Dunlops.

The floors are excellent and have never been repaired.

INTERIOR

The interior is exemplary.   The seats have never been re-coloured and apart from very slight aged cracking to the leather on the driver's side show very little sign of wear.  They have lost none of their shape and still 'hug' you as only a Daimler seat can.   There are no tears. rips or marks.   The back seats look like they may never have been used so the back of the front seats are like new.

The velvet pile carpets are outstanding. as are the heel mats and edged piping.   The headlining has recently been replaced to match the rest of the interior trim.

There is a period radio cassette player. with a primitive but all the rage at the time graphic equaliser.   This is untested at the present time because the aerial does not rise.

The veneer on the dash is unmarked and not peeling.   All the instruments are excellent and work.

The door cards show no signs of wear. are unmarked and could easily pass as new.   The black tops . only standard on the Daimler versions. give a much more exclusive look and feel.

The steering wheel is unmarked showing no signs of being worn away by rings on fingers or being chipped.   The centre console is unmarked.

The windows and joining bar lower effortlessly on the button.

UNDER THE BONNET

The engine bay is spotless.   Original stickers remain.   Components and pipework glisten.   All the numbers match.

IN THE BOOT

Original black velour carpet in as new condition apart from one tiny mark.   Black nylon covered side panels unmarked.   Unused original steel wheel with chrome trim and original factory fitted Dunlop tyre.   Jack handle and wheel brace in their original Hardura bag.

ON THE ROAD

BXI 22 starts on the button first time with automatic choke. The engine is quiet with no untoward noises or smoke. and it is obvious that this is a low mileage car.   It is an absolute pleasure to drive  and just wafts along effortlessly.

HISTORY FILE

The car comes wit a comprehensive history file.

SUMMARY

BXI22 is the best of the best original condition Daimler Double Sixs available.   The vast majority of it and the parts that make it up date back to 1977.   It carries the cherished number BXI 22. but it could be put back on an age related number or the original number if still available.   If you are looking for a 5. 3 V12 coupe in original condition. especially the more sought after Daimler version. your search is over.   Here is a unique opportunity  -  don't miss it because you almost certainly will never get another.

VIEWING

Serious buyers would be welcome to view the car by arrangement with Alan on 01788 832347 or 07548 919162.   Please ring if you would like further information.   The car is just to the west of Rugby.

Also published at eBay.co.uk

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