Jaguar engine colours

Aluminium twin-cam straight six built from 1984 to 1996 in 2.9, 3.2, 3.6 and 4.0 litre forms for the XJ-S and the XJ40 saloons. Like the V12 it is a bare-alloy engine with black cam covers, but it adds a black painted inlet manifold. This is the thinnest of the three Jaguar pages: one judging guide covers the 3.6 in the XJ-S and nothing found covers the XJ40 at all.

All-aluminium 5.3 and 6.0 litre V12 built from 1971 to 1997 for the E-type Series 3, XJ12, Daimler Double-Six and XJ-S. Almost none of it was painted: two JCNA judging guides record the block, heads, sump, timing cover and water pump as bare cast aluminium, with black cam covers the only painted castings on the engine. The commonest error is treating it like an iron engine and painting it black all over.

Twin-overhead-cam straight six built from 1949 to 1992, from the XK120 through the Mk2, XK150, E-type, Mark X, 420 and the XJ6 Series 1 to 3. Little of the engine was painted: the iron block was black, the alloy head was coloured by engine size for a period and then left bare, and the cam covers were polished castings before they went black with bare ribs. Most restoration mistakes on an XK are painting something the factory left bare, or polishing something the factory only buffed.