Alarm /auto door unlock system

Where may I obtain date my 1976 XJ12C was produced if I know the VIN?
Is other factory sourced info re my car also available, e.g., first owner, engine & gear box SNs?
Thanks

Some days I am more patient than others...In answer to your question, the 94 XJ12 car is a variant of the XJ40 and has the factory code designation of "XJ81". But the 95 XJ12 is a variant of the X300-bodied cars, not the XJ40-bodied cars. The engine in both of these is the 6 litre variant of the V12, not quite as quiet as the 5.3 litre. The body variant used for both of these was the long wheelbase as the V12 cars were to be the "flagship" models. To continue the discussion again: these cars were on a longer wheelbase than the Series III V12 which preceded; the Series III V12 was the "long" wheelbase, like the Series II V12 (as compared to the short wheelbase Series I and early Series II 6 cylinders). So we might say that if we factor these into the issue, we have short, long and longer. The rear doors of the late V12 cars are significantly longer than the rear doors of the Series III cars or of the normal xj40 and X300 cars.
See the photo of my 1992 Series III V12. This body is identical to every other Series III body, and the rear doors are the same length as those on the Series II XJ12L in JAM's photo.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

Gregory I admire your patience on this issue of 'wheelbase". Just one other thought, the 94/95 cars V12's are as you know the XJ40 chassis but with many of the electronics that were to be used on the "New" series cars. They do not fit the X300 nor XJ40 designations, what is your take on this. ps; there is one for sale on Craigs list los Angeles Jaguar affectionado and etc.

and here's the 1964 S type that reportedly belonged to the Kennedys photographed at Hyannisburg, or whatever the place is..

and here's a 1976 XJ-12-C (Coupe 2-door).

hello Doug!

here's a 1976 XJ-12-L

A '76 didn't have power locks ? I though they did ??

If the electric locks are already there installing a "remote keyless entry" so they can be operated with a "clicker" is easy and non-intrusive. Just a couple relays and a control module....not all that bad

I agree about an alarm system......forget it !

Doug Dwyer
Longview Washington USA
1987 XJ6 Ser III
1988 XJS V12 Coupe

Harold: Yes, the "L" model is 4 inches longer than the "short" wheelbase car, but again, there were very few Series II cars in short wheelbase. Most of them were the longwheelbase version.
I gave you the production figures for the Series II xj12L: 20,344 (see previous postings: I am beginning to think that when my name appears, the "delete" key goes into action; very understandable, really). Or did you mean VIN numbers?

And for J.A.M.: as Bob Higgs has just clarified, and as I have said several times, the xjc had the same wheelbase as the "short" sedan, so yes, there were just two wheelbase lengths.

For William Brady: the Canadian-market V12 Vanden Plas is essentially the same as the Daimler Double Six (and in some years, 1992 for example, the factory build record lists the Canadian cars, all 100 of them, as Daimler Double Sixes); that is why I said they are the "cream of the crop", the best car Jaguar was producing at the time. Still gorgeous, and definite collector cars. For information about these, go to the JCNA club links, and to the Jaguar Car Club of Victoria (NW region), and see the current newsletter issue for an article on them.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

So,the series 2 "L" is 4' longer than the non "L" XJ's.

Anyone with any Production #'s for the Series 2 XJ12L's ?

SFJC
1976 XJ12L
BRG/Biscuit

The discussion on the 12 sedans is interesting, i did not know about the canadian cars. there is little doubt that the 12 sedan was one of the finest driving cars and tragic that it stopped being available in the US around 1979. In Europe (and perhaps Canada)they produced the Daimler double Six which was the more luxurious vesion of the series- people often get this confused with the Daimler limousine, coincidentally the production of these limo's was stopped in these same years. I was fortunate emough to be invited to the Launch of the XK8 in Santa Barbara in 1987/8 -jaguar used one of my cars in the heritage display-. for the two weeks of the event I was given a NEW Xj12 sedan to drive, there were a few of them available for general use, does anyone know what happened to them? One last thing, due to the relatively small production numbers and the constant development these models are difficult to get parts and information for, particularly 1994 & 95, it would be very beneficial to have some kind of separate register of owners in order to have an information exchange, anyone care to volunteer? regards. Jaguar affectionado and etc.

Maybe this will make it simpler to understand.

Series I Introduced in 1968
XJ6 Wheelbase 9 ft 13/16 Inches

Series 1 Introduced in 1972
XJ12 Wheelbase 9ft 13/16 Inches
XJ6L/XJ12L Wheelbase 9ft 4 13/16 Inches.

Series II Introduced 1973
XJ6 and XJ12 Wheelbase 9ft 13/16 Inches
XJ6L and XJ12L Wheelbase 9ft 4 13/16 Inches.

Series II Introduced 1975
XJ6C and XJ12C Wheelbase 9ft 13/16 Inches.

Series III Introduced 1979
XJ6 and XJ12 and V-12 VDP Wheelbase 9ft 4 13/16 inches.

Bob.

92 Ser III V-12 VDP #31 Canadian Edition
87 Ser III V-12 VDP
86 Ser III AJ6/Soveriegn
85 Ser III XJ6 VDP
1957 MkI Automatic

"question: what is the "concourse forum exchanges"?"

good question... maybe airport concourses have forums where traveller can exchange ideas and opinion?

afaik, that's about the only meaning to the word concourse. :-)

quote:
Just wondering...what the "L" does all of this recent dialogue have to do with the "Alarm/auto door unlock system" post?
This is about as comical to monitor as the concourse forum exchanges...
D.A. Gillespie
1986 XJ6 Sovereign

What the "L" !!! I'm enjoying it.

question: what is the "concourse forum exchanges"?

JAM

Gregory, call me JAM. and don't give up yet. Let's see: the XJ-C (Coupe)was a shorter body-wheelbase than the Standard XJ-6 or 12. was it not? Or was it the same length as the Standard XJ model, the only difference being that it was a 2-door body style??

And the Standard XJ-6 wheelbase (or 12 depending on the engine fitted) was 4 inches shorter than the XJ-6 or 12 "L" Model. was it not? By the way, we are talking Series 2 XJ wheelbases, not Series 1 or 3.

So it looks to me that there were three wheelbases being offered during that particular time period of the 1970's, assuming the XJ Coupe was shorter; if not, then you are correct, there were 2 wheelbases only. And I was correct, the L stands for a Long Wheelbase, but I disagree that ALL XJ were LONG wheelbases, that would contradict the quoted description below from Jaguar's own advertising;

Not that it matters to me, I just want to get it right, and since member SFJC read us the 1976 Ad copy for the L model, there is no longer any question that the L stands for Lengthened, as opposed to the normal/standard wheelbase.

>:

I have in front of me a Jaguar XJ-12-L magazine ad for 1976 entitled "The Jaguar mystique lengthens" It reads partly:

"Thus, the "L" in XJ-12-L represents a small, but considered improvement in the car. We have made the XJ-12-L four inches longer. These extra inches translate directly into four inches more of rear passenger legroom. Which means even greater comfort........We believe you'll find this lengthened version of our famed Jaguar XJ12........... "

SFJC

As you can see it says: "We have made the XJ-12-L four inches longer",
obviously Longer than the Standard wheelbase of the XJ-6. So the "L" badging differentiates this model from the "normal" wheelbase length. Because if not, then the question would be: "longer than what?".

So the only question is whether the XJ Coupe model of the 1970's is a shorter wheelbase than the other two wheelbases.

Just wondering...what the "L" does all of this recent dialogue have to do with the "Alarm/auto door unlock system" post?

This is about as comical to monitor as the concourse forum exchanges...

D.A. Gillespie
1986 XJ6 Sovereign

Just a question from a novice.
Why do some 1976 XJ's have the "L" designation and others not?
Thanks!

SFJC
1976 XJ12L
BRG/Biscuit

I forgot: everyone is invited to join the British Car Forum,

(Pascal: I hope this is ok)- - -

http://www.britishcarforum.com

I mean the Jaguar section of the forum of course. Though not as model-specific as the JCNA forums, experienced Jaguar people are needed there per the BCF webmaster. I notice that enthusiasts in the BCF Jaguar forum own Austin Healey, MG, Lotus, in addition to Jaguars. Not to mention that someone likes Renault 4CV and Dauphines and that Jaguar ownership is a mix of cars from the 1960's thru the 21st century. All years thrown together into one forum. Same kind of nightmare they had at Browns Lane in the 1970's manufacturing 3 different wheelbases! So join it, it's a friendly place.

As a follow up to J.A.M. (it would be good for us to have your name): I think you may have a mental image of the more modern XJ saloon pattern - those which are on a standard wheelbases, and those on the long wheelbase. This version does indeed show, in comparison, a very lengthened rear door.
The problem is that the "standard" version of the modern cars corresponds in size and appearance to the "long" version of the Series I, II and III cars. There is no "short" version of the Series III or more modern cars which corresponds to the Series I short wheelbase. Easily shown by photos which I would be happy to send you if you want them, off forum.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

I am about to give up in frustration here...there were only two wheelbases: the "short" - which was used on the saloons AND the coup?® -, and the "long" which was offered as as alternate in Series I cars and briefly in Series II cars up to mid 1974. Two, not three wheebases. The "L" wheelbase is not the rare one; it is in fact the more common. In Series II cars, for example, there were 24,676 LHD six cylinder cars on the LONG wheelbase. There were only 4907 LHD six cylinder cars on the short wheelbase. So you can see that the long wheelbase car is the standard one, if you like, not the exception. And, I repeat that every Series III car, all 127,000 or so, were long wheelbase cars. But then, as there was no shortwheelbase, the question is, "compared to what"?

I already gave you the total production figures for the Series II long wheelbase cars, both RHD and LHD. The total of LHD Series II V12 cars was 10,069 on the (long) 112.75 in wheelbase. There were no short wheelbase Series II V12 cars apart from the coup?®, of which there were 1269 LHD cars. Now THAT is rare.

But in the grand scheme of thing, every V12 XJ is a relatively rare car, and every one is beautiful.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

aha, the "L" stands for "Lengthened". The additional 4 inches make the standard wheelbase of the XJ body look like a Limousine, even the shape of the rear doors and the window frames is different from the standard model, being that the rear doors and the Top, are longer. This means that in the 1970's period we are talking about, Jaguar was offering 3 wheelbases: the XJ-Coupe, (a short wheelbase 2-door version of the XJ), the standard wheelbase XJ that we all know, and the XJ-L or Long wheelbase, which is rarely seen, it is a rare car by any definition. The 4.2 6 cylinder or the 12 cylinder engine was used for all of them, not to mention LHD or RHD. Must have been a nightmare keeping up with all the variations. So to sum it all up, a 1976, 12 cylinder, LHD, L wheelbase, is definitely a rare car.

Hi:

I have in front of me a Jaguar XJ12L magazine ad for 1976 entitled "The Jaguar mystique legthens" It reads partly:

" Thus, the "L" in XJ12L represents a small, but considered improvement in the car. We have made the XJ12L four inches longer. These extra inches translate directly into four inches more of rear passenger legroom. Which means even greater comfort........We believe you'll find this lengthened version of our famed Jaguar XJ12........... "

SFJC
1976 XJ12L
BRG/Biscuit

One further point: The Canadian Series III V12 cars meet or exceed all US emissions standards (including California standards); in fact every 1988 and later Canadian-market Jaguar is deemed by the EPA to comply. The reason the V12 version of the Series III car was not sold in the US had nothing to do with emissions standards. It was, rather, the result of the CAFE rulings. If Jaguar had included the V12 saloon in the calculation of its average fuel econmy figures, it would have had to pay massive fees. A decision was made in 1979 immediately after introduction to pull the Series III V12 from the American market. Aproximately 6 Series III V12 cars had entered the US before that decision was taken. But the V12 saloons were sold without interrupion from 1973 through 1996, a remarkable 20 year span, covering 5 different Series.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

J.A.M.:

With respect: it is not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. What I have stated about the "L" designation is fact, not my opinion. And in fact, Jaguar dropped the use of the "L" for the last of the Series II cars because it had lost its meaning. Let me cite from Nigel Thorley: p.34 of his Original Jaguar: "Badging on the Series II cars...the situation changed on later cars, as the "L" was dropped (because) the short-wheelbase bodyshells were no longer offered."
You are correct that with regard to the more modern XJ Jaguars, there have been again two wheelbase lengths. But in the period mid-1974 to 1992 inclusive, ALL cars were on one wheelbase, the long one. Production of the shortwheelbase car was discontinued entirely. There is no connection between these cars and the Daimler limousine in this sense.
I have restored more than 15 V12 cars, and in fact I am presently restoring one of the last, # 24 of the last 100 V12 Vanden Plas cars that Ken Cantor refers to.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

I disagree. "L" stands for "Long", as in "Elongated", or "Extended" or "Stretched Version". The "L" versions of the XJ series (regardless if Series 2 or 3 or XJ-40) have longer rear doors, and a longer wheelbase than a "regular" or "normal" XJ model. All XJ models were and are the same except for the "L" versions, which are "Longer" cars. They are "Limos" in a sense. Still being offered today. Whether they were meant to replace or not the outdated Daimler Limos, they ended doing just that, at least in the UK. As to the production years of the Series 3 XJ model, I did say in the previous posting that Series 3 XJ production lasted until 1992 but only for the Europe and Canada markets. There are no 1988 or younger Series 3 XJ (6 or 12) in the USA unless they are "grey market cars", since they apparently do not meet USA's emission standards and were not imported after 1987.

I am coming into this discussion late, and I'd just like to clarify a couple of things about the V12 cars. First, they were indeed made from 1973 right through December, 1992, in all three Series. Second, the "L" designation on the beautiful XJ12L (Series II) has *no significance whatever* beyond indicating that the car is a long wheelbase car; the reason this is of no importance is that ALL XJ cars from mid-1974 to 1992 were "long wheelbase" cars, the short wheelbase car having been discontinued. Third, there is no relationship whatever to the Daimler limousine, which was produced until the early 90's. The XJ12 was not a substitute and was never intended to be such. The V12 XJ saloons were sold in Canada, Japan, Germany and the UK until 1993 (my own, # 92 of the last 100 V12 Vanden Plas cars, was sold new in May, 1993).
The total number of Series II XJ12 cars was 16,010 under the Jaguar nameplate and 4334 under the Daimler nameplate for a total of 20,344 V12 cars (bioth LHD and RHD) in this wheelbase. So in relative terms it is not a rare car, but it is indeed beautiful.
The "cream of the crop" is the Series III V12 Vanden Plas, made only for Canada.

Gregory Andrachuk
1992 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1966 Mark 2 3.8
2002 X-Type

Yes, I did just that and as a matter of fact, I received the JDHT Cerificate in today's mail, very cool.

I did try to get production #'s from them but only was told that 2,737 is the production figure for the XJ12L in 1976.

If anyone can get further information it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, again!

SFJC
1976 XJ12L
BRG/Biscuit

I would think that LHD XJ-12-L were few; contact the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) with your car's VIN, (they have a website, find it in google.com or any search engine); For around $25. they prepare and send you a JDHT certificate with the car's build date, first registered owner, selling dealer, and other data. You can ask Julia about specific production numbers. you might discover surprising info.

Edited on 2006-02-13 17:29:54

Edited on 2006-02-13 17:25:43

thank you

I have been trying to find that information- about production #'s. I have been able to find that 2,737 is the production figure for the XJ12L in 1976, but do not know how many were LHD, and how many exist still today.

Do you know how many Left Hand Drive XJ12L's were built and how many exist?

SFJC
1976 XJ12L
BRG/Biscuit

that's the way to go. keep it original. the XJ-12-L is a rare Jaguar, a Limousine-style to replace the Daimler limos. In 1976, a total 21,492 XJ's were made, (source: Jaguar World Magazine), and that amount was for the entire world. Of that number, few were 12, and fewer were L, the extended version.

Thanks!

I guess I've got my answer....will leave w/o alarm and door lock system.

SFJC
1976 XJ12L
BRG/Biscuit

the XJ12 is sensitive as it is; During the last 15 years I have seen many XJ's with alarm systems that created more problems than they prevented. Installing door-locking electricals means dismantling the interior, modifying and adapting door linkages, installing miles of wiring, solenoids, relays, switches, then you end up with a job that you wished you never had started! there's nothing like a simple old-fashioned car that you insert a key to open the door! Besides, thieves today are way smarter than any alarm. Just keep it locked and a put a cassette near the stereo, they're looking for CD players mostly.

i you are doing it jsut for the alarm, i woudln't... these are not popular cars for thiefs and a kill switch will do the job anyway. hide it somewhere, easy to do, kill the ingition. you can also add a second one to kill the fuel pump...

and i really wouldn't let any alarm shop mess up with the car!

Pascal