It took far too long for the Jaguar XJ6 to be appreciated as a prime candidate for restomodding. For years we could have been enjoying cars as cool as Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain’s ’84 Jag. But you know what? Don’t waste your time searching for all those wasted years. Face up; make your stand and realize you’re living in the golden years.
McBrain is a “life-long Jaguar enthusiast,” according to Jaguar, and I guess there must be some truth there because apparently the famous metal drummer has just taken delivery on the most badass custom XJ6 I ever could have imagined in my wildest dreams.
The car, named “Johnny 3” by McBrain, is the guy’s third XJ and did I mention I’m already wasting love on it?
I could never afford to pay the Jaguar factory for the 3,500 labor hours that went into transforming this humble sedan into a modernized marvel of beauty. But at least, when I see the simple things, I can appreciate this life. If you can’t, it’s not too late to learn.
I really want to focus on trying to work Maiden lyrics into this post, but I keep losing my mind over the pictures of this thing. We’ve all seen old cars refurbished with new tech and interiors, but this ’84 XJ6 seems like such an excellent and overlooked platform for this kind of reimagining that I can still hardly believe what we’re seeing is real and not just fantasy.
I’ve dreamed of treating an XJ6 like this but, of course, never had the resources to make it happen. So you could say these pictures are kind of like reflections of my warped mind staring back at me.
The car’s long list of artful and elegant modifications include an Iron Maidenified Jaguar “Growler” logo, an entirely redone interior, and LED halo headlights in case anyone in the car has a fear of the dark.
It’s a hell of a car to be quick or be dead in, and I’m serious when I say this is an inspired and original restomod project. I love it, but I cannot possess it. I guess there is beauty and surely there is pain, but we must endure it to live again.