Daimler Sovereign - Daimler Double-Six

Daimler Double-Six

From 1972 Jaguar's 5.3 litre V12 engine was available in the XJ range, and for the Daimler version a name used by the company from 1926 to 1938 was revived. Sir William Lyons had retired from Jaguar in 1972 and the new chairman was FRW (Lofty) England. Lofty England had been a Daimler apprentice from 1927 to 1932 and taken second place in the first ever RAC rally driving a 30/40 hp Daimler Double-Six. So Lofty England decreed that the new V12 Daimler would be known as Double-Six.

Unlike the Jaguar, the twelve-cylinder Daimler had the same radiator grill as its six-cylinder sibling, and externally only the badges distinguished them. Although the Sovereign name was transferred to Jaguar, the Double-Six name remained with Daimler throughout Series III production, which continued until 1992.

When Jaguar re-engineered the XJ40 to take a 6.0 litre version of the V12 engine, under the model designation XJ81, a new Double-Six was also produced, being manufactured between 1993 and 1994. In the latter year, along with the other XJ models, it was facelifted under the X305 designation and continued to be produced until the V12 engine was dropped in 1997.