V 12 Series I XJ Vanden Plas (3)

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The incomplete car was transported by truck to London where Vanden Plas craftsmen would flatten the single coat of paint before applying a further three from its unique colour range.

Brisbane co-owner of Heritage Trimmers Michael Elms was a select upholsterer with a Vanden Plas apprenticeship then, and recalls trimming these and other Daimlers for Jaguar cars. According to Michael, Vanden Plas were assigned a myriad of specially ordered vehicles including DS420 limousines with individual fittings for business or royalty, plus the-off Vanden Plas V12 XJ-C and , of course, these four door series 1 saloons.
The Queen Mother, whilst visiting Vanden Plas in 1972 when her latest DS-420 limousine was being prepared, inquired as to the origins of a car parked near-by. It was as you might have guessed a Series 1 Vanden Plas, and a version was duly supplied for her use.
The Series 1 Vanden Plas (it has no Jaguar or Daimler badge) has many features not included on a Jaguar until the Series 3 sovereign nearly ten years later, and the very low build of only 337 in RHD and a mere 5 LHD examples, means it remains highly prized . With the vast majority of series 1 Vanden Plas having been sold and driven in the UK, the rust general wear and tear makes it not difficult to imagine just how few examples survive! Perhaps half a dozen may be in Australia, all personal imports, and even that few may be a worthwhile percentage of all surviving examples.
We estimate that perhaps as few as 50 of these beauties are still in existence

The particular vehicle which I saw being advertised in the distant (from Coventry at least!) Queensland tropics was #243, and proclaimed by the owner as needing only a re-spray, and supposedly, the engine had recently been rebuilt (why are so many Jaguars advertised like this?).
The coating of oil underneath, however, and the rust showing in the A pillar and boot indicated a complete rebuild was the way to go despite the car's driving remarkably well. This, and its rarity and heritage made it well worth saving, I believe.
I said I wanted a challenge, so the first task undertaken was to strip the body and see just what effort would be needed to repair the shell. As always the further the task progressed, the worse the news.
The little bit of rust in the pillars was nothing! The rear window had been leaking for a long time, and water had entered the rear parcel shelf, run down the back of the seat, into the rear wheel arch and along the sill. The beaver panel had been 'bogged' and riveted to what was left of the spare wheel well,

But the most serious rust was ion the rear of the car, with those panels surrounding the fuel tanks requiring complete replacement. continues