Highlights
- Very presentable with desirable colour scheme
- Meticulous maintenance including nearly 700 workshop hrs over 10 years
- Recent top end engine overhaul and new carburettors
- Bodywork restoration in 2021
- Featured on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here 2021
- Just serviced and fettled for sale
The Appeal
Jaguar’s clever makeover of the original Mk1 saloon created arguably one of the most beautiful four doors of all time. The appeal continued inside where a panoply of wood and leather greeted the lucky occupants.
Then there was the power plant, Jaguar’s lusty XK straight six unit built for and proven at Le Mans. While the 3.8 litre model grabbed the headlines, aficionados plumped for the 3.4 MOD, rating it the sweeter-revving unit that was nearly as quick as the 3.8.
This beautiful gunmetal grey metallic ‘65 Mk2 has that engine plus the desirable ‘MOD’ option. Its owner ran a classic car workshop so it has been treated to over 700hrs of attention since 2013. Most recently the engine and carburettors have been overhauled and the bodywork refreshed. Regularly used and enjoyed it is a great opportunity to acquire a heavily maintained and reliable example of these superb saloons.
The History and Paperwork
- First UK registered 16th March 1965
- Current owner acquired the car in 2011, sold it in 2013 and bought it back in 2015
- Maintained by his own classic car workshop since 2011 alongside Jaguar specialists
- Over 700hrs of workshop maintenance covering routine servicing, bodywork and mechanical improvements
- Thick history file including all the job cards recording the workshop attention
- Invoices for parts from SNG Barratt and other Jaguar parts specialists
- MOT exempt but has been annually MOT’d to provide independent verification of condition
- Old MOTs to verify the mileage
- MOT records show regular use between tests
- Recent servicing and fettling readying for sale
Notable maintenance work from the history file:
- Invoices from Jaguar specialist Grantham Bridge Motors March to May 2023 totalling £2,153
- This work covered brakes, carburettor tuning, handbrake, service, radiator, core plugs and cooling system repairs
- Engine work including professional carburettor rebuild in May 2022
- Head reconditioned in May 2022 at cost of £880 by Bromsgrove Engine Services
- Clutch replaced in September 2021 at cost of £800 labour and £694.54 parts
- Suspension and other parts in August 2021 costing £237.30 in parts alone
- Head gasket repairs in September 2021 totalling £907
- Bodywork repairs covering offside and nearside sills, wings and undersealing April 2021 £1,400 plus welding work totalling £1,100
- New fuel tank fitted in May 2019
- Bodywork repairs to front wings in January 2018
- New radiator July 2017
- New fuel pump March 2017
- Propshaft UJs replaced September 2016
- Gearbox rebuild in June 2016
- October 2015 bodywork repairs totalling 178.5hrs to doors, arches, front panel and jacking points
- Gearbox and engine mounts, wishbone bushes and clutch replaced February 2013
The colour combination of gunmetal grey metallic with red interior is believed to be factory correct and VIN records confirm that this car left the factory with the desirable DeNormanville overdrive option.
The vendor acquired the car from a classic car hire business in Suffolk in 2011. It has subsequently been part of his collection, used for weddings, classic car tours and TV and film work. It has appeared in various adverts as well as the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip and I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
The vendor sold the car in 2013 but decided to buy it back in 2015. It has been maintained mainly by his own mechanics, who have clocked up over 700hrs of maintenance on the car since 2013. Additional work has been undertaken by Jaguar specialists, including a gearbox rebuild, head rebuild, carburettor rebuild and work to the cooling system and core plugs. The vendor has MOT’d the car annually despite this no longer being a requirement so that he has an independent assessment of the car’s condition.
The car has been restored at various points during his tenure, most notably in 2015 when nearly 200hrs were invested in the bodywork and more recently in 2021 when the sills and wings were repaired.
It has covered few miles since the recent work by Grantham Bridge Motors and is being sold because he is slimming down his collection.
The Interior
- Original Mk2 interior with refreshed carpets, console trim and front seats
- Burgundy trim is believed to be factory correct
- Rear seats in original condition showing patination
- Original factory two-spoke steering wheel and factory correct gear knob
- Front seats professionally retrimmed in Ambla for durability to factory specification
- Seatbelts fitted front and rear
- Carpets professionally retrimmed in 2019
- Centre console retrimmed in 2019
- Wood veneers show delamination and would benefit from refurbishment
- Original headlining in good condition
- Factory chrome switchgear and dials complete, undamaged and work correctly
- Original boot trim showing marks typical of age
Step into this nearly 60 year old saloon and you are quickly swept back in time to an era when car interiors were more like refined wood-lined club rooms than a place devoted to motoring.
The Mk2 interior is considered one of motoring’s best, its combination of opulent wood trimmings with leather facings both beautiful and functional.
The interior of this 1965 Mk2 is a combination of original and refreshed. The dark red trim works particularly well with the paintwork and was a popular option when these cars were new.
It is factory standard, right down to the two-spoke wheel and gear knob, but the carpets, front seats and centre console have been retrimmed. The front seats have been finished in Ambla to make them more durable, but follow factory correct patterns. The rear seat appears to be original leather.
It is a presentable and smart cabin but could be enhanced by renovating the wood veneers which have begun to delaminate, particularly on the dash top.
We are told that the electrics, switchgear and dials all work correctly with the exception of the clock in the rev counter, a common problem with the Mk2.
The Exterior
- Attractive gunmetal grey metallic, one of the best colours for the Mk2
- Converted to narrow ‘Coombs’ style rear arches
- Sits on painted wire wheels with tyres showing plenty of tread
- Extensive bodywork restoration by seller’s own classic car workshop
- Recent respray work from 2021 covering both sides of the car
- There are a few marks and points to note on the paintwork but none detract overall
- Doors fit well with even panel gaps and bases are solid
- Small area of bubbling on base of nearside rear door
- Underside in good condition with good coating of underseal
- Original chromework presents well
Certain colours seem to complement the svelte lines of the Mk2 and gunmetal grey metallic is certainly one of them. We understand that the colour is factory correct, although the car has been restored at various points between 2015 and 2023.
The car was restored by the vendor’s workshop in 2015, covering doors, arches, front panel and jacking points, and then again in 2021. The later work was undertaken by a local Jaguar specialist and bodyshop and covered both sills and wings. The full length of the car on both sides was resprayed at this time.
The bodywork presents well, showing clean and consistent panel gaps - particularly on the doors. They close cleanly in line with the body, generally an indication of the quality of a Mk2. There is a small area of bubbling to the base of the nearside rear door, but otherwise they appear rust free.
The car has been in regular use throughout the owners tenure and there are a few chips and marks around the car. The nearside front wing top shows an area of paint damage and there is similar on the same side on the roof. They do not detract from the overall appeal as the photographs show.
The Mechanics
- 3,442cc Jaguar XK straight six engine developing around 200bhp
- Twin carburettors professionally refurbished May 2022 at cost of £600
- Durable 4spd ‘Moss’ gearbox with optional and desirable overdrive
- Head professionally reconditioned and refitted in May 2022
- Work to core plugs, cooling system, carburettors and brakes in Spring 2023
- Serviced just prior to sale
- Over 700hrs maintenance undertaken on the car since 2013
- Clutch replaced in September 2021 with few miles since
- Gearbox professionally rebuilt in 2016
For those new to a Mk2, a good car conceals a nice surprise beneath its handsome exterior: it drives incredibly well. A well sorted Mk2 combines pliant ride with nimble handling and a remarkable turn of speed. These are cars that can still give modern saloons a run for their money.
This car is fitted with the sweet-revving 3.4litre displacement XK engine and the desirable overdrive option which makes driving much more relaxing. It is one of the last ‘Moss’ box cars, a gearbox known for its durability. The box on this car was rebuilt in 2016 by a well known gearbox specialist.
The owner tells us that he bought this car back in 2015 because, having driven several other Mk2s, none drove quite as well as this one.
It has received significant ongoing mechanical maintenance by his own classic car workshop and Jaguar specialists. Most recently this has involved rebuilding the head, reconditioning the carburettors and rectifying cooling, core plug and brake issues. The cost of this work over the last 18 months exceeds £5,000. Although little used since the most recent work was completed, he reports that the car runs sweetly and does not overheat or misfire even in traffic.
Summary
The Mk2 Jaguar is one of the perennials of the classic car scene. This must be because it ticks virtually all the boxes: beautiful, great to drive and practical too. Good, usable examples are always in high demand.
This smart 3.4 MOD comes to the buyer with the benefit of a huge amount of work to the bodywork and mechanicals to ensure it is very presentable and reliable. It is a beautiful and very usable example of these superb classics.
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