Jaguar launched its final version of the original XJ6 in 1979, the XJ6 Series III. Jaguar commissioned Pininfarina to restyle the XJ6 and give a more modern look to the now eleven year old design. The Series III had an increased glass area and much cleaner lines than the old Series II cars. The front had a slimmer grille, one piece rubber faced bumper and the rear had larger tail lights and matching bumper.
The Series III came with the usual choice of a 3.4 or 4.2 litre XK engine with either manual or automatic gearbox options. The 4.2 engine had slightly more power than the previous car thanks to fuel injection. Following the appointment of John Egan in the early 80's Jaguar began to recover the credibility that it lost in the British Leyland days and quality started to improve.
The last XJ6 Series III rolled of the Browns Lane assembly line in 1988, although the new XJ40 and later X300 saloons would continue to carry the name XJ6 well into the 1990's.
