XJC Register

Air Conditioning

Much was made of the Heating, Ventilation and optional Air Conditioning system installed in the XJ Series 2 and it was thought a significant enough achievement to have its own brochure. The HVAC unit was Delenair's Mark II and from the outset was being marketed as having the optional Air Conditioning installed as standard on the XJ12C and Double-Six Two Door. However, by the time that the Coupe went into full production in April 1975 the price list for the Double-Six Two Door stated that it was now a cost option as did the June 1975 price list for the XJ12C.

The easiest way to determine the presence of air conditioning is from the control dials ......

For the domestic market there were 7 audio options offered during production of the two door XJ. In other markets it was usual for the audio unit to be a dealer fitment and these could have been any brand but in the UK Jaguar specified Radiomobile and Philips.

Radiomobile 1085T: MW/LW Radio

Radiomobile 1086T: Radio

Radiomobile 108SR: MW/LW Radio with stereo 8 track cartridge player.

Philips RN712: LW/MW/FM Radio and stereo cassette player. I have never seen the RN712 fitted to any vehicle outside of brochures. It was twice the cost of some of the alternative audio options available as it came with a microphone enabling the dictation of messages which would be recorded to the cassette. It was also listed as an option on some of the most expensive models of the period such as the Jensen Interceptor and Lotus Elite.

Philips RN 642: LW/MW/FM Radio and stereo cassette player

Philips AC460: LW/MW/FM Mono radio and stereo cassette player

Philips AC860: LW/MW/FM stereo radio and cassette player

Cibie IODE 35 were the correct fitment and came with either clear or yellow lenses dependent on local legislation and expected use. These are easy to add at a later date as the wiring harness and bracket are already in place. However, if the car has not had them previously it may be necessary to reconfigure the light switch. This is done by taking off the knob and removing a circlip that prevents the depression of the switch post so that it can turn to the fog position.

When the XJC was announced chromed steel wheels were listed as an option on all four models making the painted steels the standard fitment. By the time full production started the "Light Alloy wheel" as Jaguar called it, more commonly known as the 'Kent' to enthusiasts, was an option on the 12 cylinders. The Kent name comes from the name of their manufacturer Kent Alloys Ltd of of Rochester, Kent, England. The company had been established as a subsidiary of GKN with Motor announcing that a state of the art manufacturing facility had been opened by Graham Hill in July 1971 that was supplying Aston Martin and Lotus. From January 1976 the alloys were also available as an option the six cylinders.

There were three different types of door mirror officially fitted to the XJC. From January 1976 a remote control driver's door mirror was offered as an option and continued to be until the end of production. This rounded off squashed hexagon suits the car best in my opinion but it wasn't designed for it. It was actually a product of AMC and had been seen on various models such as the Javelin and AMX since 1970. Jaguar replaced this with the larger rectangular mirror from the XJ-S ???towards???? the end of production. No UK price list offers a door mirror for the passenger side and indeed many overseas examples only have a single one on the driver's side. It seems probable that the cars with two had them fitted at a later date or on special request.