Retro genius

INEVERY sense, from engineering tomarketing, this car, a Daimler Double-Six, should not exist: an older body style, a dated engine, sharing the same showroomfloor as the latestmodel. And yet, itworked.

Our story goes back to the original XJ6, released in 1968. Voted car of the year and available in two sizes of the XK engine (2.8- and 4.2-litre), itwas the car destined to have the third engine option – themighty 5.3-litre V12 – reckoned by the industry to be the finest in theworld. It didn’tmatter that it had carburettors instead of fuel injection, itwas impressive enough in its base form. Fuel injection came in 1975, two years after the Series 2 announcement. Accolades continued to flow, with Car magazine hailing theDouble-Six as the best car in theworld, rising above Rolls-Royce andMercedes.

Jaguar had re-introduced theDaimler Double-Six name as early as 1972. The name’s origins go back to 1926 towhen Daimler produced an extravagant V12-powered