I have recently acquired a 1997 Jaguar XJ6-VDP in beautiful condition, and it took first in its Driven Class in the Dallas Jaguar Concours dÆElegance.
I was familiar with many Vanden Plas vehicles from the old British Motor Corporation. For example there were the very big Vanden Plas Princess limousines right down to the Vanden Plas 1100, a sibling of the Austin 1100, the Morris 1100 and the Wolseley 1100, all of which were bigger sisters of the Austin Mini, etc. I knew them all as variants of the ôVan den Plassö marque. It was not until I came to the U.S. almost 40 years ago that I ever heard the(I believe)erroneously Frenchified pronunciation ôVan den Plaahö, which has become almost the dominant Texan form.
The following is an abbreviated form of the history from the Vanden Plas Owners Club, at http://www.vpoc.info
"Vanden Plas originated in Belgium, although the name derives from the Dutch, and to be grammatically correct should be expressed Van Der Plas.
Today most people will connect Vanden Plas with the more up market Austin Rover Products, but in the past they were coach-builders for Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Alvis, Daimler and Lagonda and many more. It is said that up to 1939, no two bodies by Vanden Plas were identical.
The workshops of Vanden Plas started in 1870 making wheels, followed by axle units for carriages.
Today the name Vanden Plas continues on the top Jaguar Saloon marketed in the U.S.A and the Rover 75 Vanden Plas made in the U.K."
Jim Russell-Redman (JCNA # 6213, JOASW SC35)