Missed Opportunity

Jaguar did not produce an estate version of the XJ6 Series 3 despite the obvious market for one, so Ladbrooke-Avon’s conversion should have been successful. What went wrong?

- Paul Walton

ALTHOUGH JAGUAR had steadfastly ignored the market, by the early Eighties the time was right for the company to build an estate based on the XJ. The lifestyle market was growing, other premium marques such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo already offered such a car, while the Range Rover became in demand by those who wanted a large and practical car rather than just an off-roader.

There had been several one-off Jaguar estates in the past, such as the 1962 Mk 2 County by the Jones Brothers and the two Ian Apple yard Mk IXs from 1960. Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons was also interested in the market – ever the designer, even in his retirement he would mock up suitable lines using his own XJ6, sticks and string. Sadly, under British Leyland, Jaguar didn’t have the funds to develop an XJ estate – it would take a small, independent coach builder, Avon Lad brooke, to build one.

Based in Warwick, Avon Coach works was started in 1919 by Ben Tilton and Captain Phillips to originally produce bodies for Lea Francis and Austin, amongst others, but it was a rival to William Lyons’ Swallow Coach building Company. The company changed hands several times, but survived into the Seventies, albeit repairing cars rather than modifying them. In 1973, it was bought by Graham Hudson, and he amalgamated Avon into his own crash repairs business, Lad brookes. Hudson wanted to return the company to its coach building glory days and formed Avon Special Products in 1979. After offering various modifications for the Range Rover, Avon introduced a convertible based on the XJ Coupe (see Jaguar World Monthly, September 2008) that was penned by Anthony Stevens, a former Rootes Group designer.