After eight years on sale, the Jaguar “XJ40” XJ6 had got better with every nip, tuck, tweak or facelift. Indeed, by 1994 when Jaguar was readying itself to launch the all-new “X300” model – itself a heavily facelifted XJ40 – it had morphed into one of the best luxury cars that money could buy. 

But Jaguar still needed to sell cars as it readied itself for the new model, so in 1994 one last model was launched. The XJ6 Gold was essentially a base model 3.2-litre XJ6, but with leather upholstery, automatic transmission, burr walnut trim and 16" alloy wheels as standard. It featured gold plated "Jaguar" and "XJ6 Gold" badges on the boot, a gold “growler” logo set into the grille and unique ‘Kiwi’ alloy wheels, which went on to be a feature of the X300. 

In total, just over 1,000 Golds were built, of which less than 50 remained taxed at the end of 2021, making this a very rare and desirable special edition XJ40.

The XJ40 has been with its most recent owner in Kent for the past six years, but is being offered for sale as she has exchanged it for a more modern ULEZ-friendly Jaguar. Prior to her, the previous owner had kept it for a decade. 

There’s a fair amount of history including a service book stamped up to 79,117 miles in 2017, along with repair records thereafter taking it up to the current day. There was also a substantial amount of mechanical work carried out on the car in 2017, detailed below. 

It has very recently passed an MOT – valid until April 2023 – and has a UK V5C.

It was the sumptuous interior that was the Gold’s biggest selling point, as it offered leather-clad luxury for an incredible bargain price (it was £28,250 in 1994, a whole £12,000 less than a 4.0 Sovereign). The Magnolia hide in this car is as inviting as it ever was and is in great condition, with only a light amount of wear to the driver’s side seat bolster. 

The walnut veneers are spotless, the carpets are good and the headlining isn’t dropping – it’s just a lovely, relaxing cabin in which to spend time. It also has the original Jaguar radio-cassette, complete with Jaguar cassette tape to take you through the controls of the car.

Finished in Regency Red Mica with gold coachlines to mark it out as the special edition it is, the XJ6 Gold looks absolutely fabulous. The Kiwi alloys, developed for the X300, are a smart addition, as is the gold growler incorporated into the front grille. 

The body on the car is on the whole very good, with no corrosion to note and no dents or scuffs, just a very small ripple on the bootlid that only gets noticed from certain angles. There’s also a very small amount of bubbling under the paint on the nearside rear pillar. Unusually for an XJ40, all four door handles operate without complaint.

The badges are slightly deteriorated and the wheels are also slightly tarnished, but nothing major or that detracts from the car unless you're after a truly concours example. 

Under the forward-tilting bonnet you’ll find a 3.2-litre straight six ‘AJ6’ engine, which is renowned for its reliability. With just over 88,500 miles on the clock, this one is barely run in, so it’s no surprise to find that it sounds glorious and holds impressive oil pressure. We were able to conduct a short test drive in which we found it to be a very pleasant car to drive, with good steering and brakes and no faults of any note.

The engine had quite a lot of remedial work in 2017 after poor running led the owner to discover the head gasket was on the way out. This was done and the block skimmed, along with a new timing chain tensioner, in 2017 at as cost of almost £1,900.

The XJ40 Gold is one of the nicest special edition XJs ever made – based on the entry-level saloon but with some lovely additional accoutrements, it was a fabulous car in 1994 and it still is today. This one isn’t perfect, but it’s very nice indeed and is a great example of a modern classic Jaguar that you can happily use every day, or set aside for shows and special occasions. Place your bid and that choice could be yours.