1960 Jaguar Mk2 3.4 Litre Sports Saloon (Manual with O/D)

Details

The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by William Lyons and William Walmsley. In 1934 Lyons formed SS Cars Limited to effectively take over the operation from Walmsley. The SS brand was quite successful; though they had a reputation for having ‘more show than go’. The Jaguar name first appeared as a model name on an SS 2½ Litre Sports Saloon introduced in 1936. For political reasons, Lyons changed the name of his company to Jaguar Cars in 1945.

Whilst the SS100 is indeed a fabulous car, it was the launch of the legendary Jaguar XK120 at the London Motor Show in 1948 that really put Jaguar on the map. The car caused a sensation, which persuaded Jaguar founder and design boss William Lyons to put it into production. The XK120 morphed into the XK140 and ultimately the XK150 and in total, just over 30,000 cars were built over fifteen years of production.

Jaguar introduced the E-Type at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, which like the XK120 all those years ago, took the motoring world by storm. The body styling was simply gorgeous, technologically the E-Type was an engineering masterpiece and it set new standards in all areas.

Whilst automotive styling is somewhat subjective the E-Type is often ranked atop lists of ‘the most beautiful cars’ and in fact, it has been described by Enzo Ferrari as the most beautiful car ever made.

Jaguar could build sports cars but they were also very successful at building sports saloons. In 1955 the Jaguar Mk1 was introduced to fill a gap in the model range of a small to medium sized luxury saloon. Initially introduced with a 2.4 litre 6 cylinder engine and later a 3.4 litre 6 cylinder engine this model was very successful with some 38,000 examples sold between 1955 and 1959. In 1959 the Mk2 was introduced and whilst visually similar at first glance the ‘new car’ had many improvements over its predecessor. In addition to the 2.4 litre and 3.4 litre engines the Mk2 was also offered with a 3.8 litre engine as used in the E-Type. Just over 80,000 Mk2’s were built from 1959 to 1967. The Mk2 was to be replaced by the XJ6, however, delays with this car resulted in Jaguar producing another series of the Mk2 which was designated as the 240 and 340 to fall into line with the nomenclature used with other models on offer at the time, specifically the 420. The 240 and 340 were built from 1967 to 1969 and almost 4,500 and 2,800 respectively of each model were built.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1960 Jaguar Mk2 3.4 Litre Sports Saloon. This car has the desirable manual gearbox with overdrive. We love cars that have a documented and interesting history and this Jaguar Mk2 has an incredible history file and an absolutely fascinating history. The car’s first owner was Mr C.S.C. Wickens who was a senior executive with Shell International Petroleum Company Ltd.

There is lots of early documentation on file, including the original purchase order from Shell International Petroleum Company Ltd, dated 18^th March 1960 which specifies the car as follows: Jaguar MK2, 3.4 litre, 4 door, 6 cylinder, saloon, right-hand drive, sherwood green with tan interior, export model, fitted with manual gearbox with Laycock  deNormanville overdrive. Extras: 23 GRB radio to cover medium and short wave band, registration in the name of C.S.C. Wickens, supplying and fitting number plates, handling and delivery via London on the 28^th November 1960.

The Jaguar Mk2 was heading to Nigeria as the order specified this as the destination for the car. The order was changed at the eleventh hour as Mr Wickens must have received a transfer to a new posting in the Netherlands. The order was changed to a left hand drive car, with a scheduled delivery for the 1^st December 1960.

The original delivery invoice on file confirms the car was delivered to Shell International Petroleum Company Ltd for Mr C.S.C Wickens, tax free, on the 2^nd December 1960. The invoice notes a radio (230RB) was supplied and fitted. On delivery the car was registered in the UK as 7629DU. The first service was carried out by Henly’s in London on the 28^th February 1961 at 1,473 km. Mr Wickens moved to the Netherlands in 1961 and took the car with him. The car was registered in the Netherlands as GK-09-48. Whilst in the Netherlands the car was regularly serviced by N.V  J.W Lagerwu (Jaguar dealer and importer). The last service was carried out on the 9^th February 1965 at 23,585 km.

In 1965 Mr. Wickens moved to Australia. He returned his beloved Jaguar back to Coventry on the 1^st March 1965 to be converted to right hand drive. At the time the car was thoroughly checked over, serviced and the speedo was changed to miles per hour in preparation for shipping in March/April 1965. There is correspondence on file between Jaguar and Mr. Wickens fully documenting this.

The car was sent to Melbourne and collected by Brysons and registered in Victoria as JGD 600. The car’s first service in Australia was at Brysons on the 20^th December 1965 at 3,510 miles. In May 1978 Mr Wickens transferred to Brisbane and the car was registered in Queensland as 308 NFZ.

There are three service books with this car. The last entry in the third service book is on the 5^th November 1980 at 58,847 miles.

In March 1983, at around 80,000 miles, the engine was completely overhauled.

The last records of Mr Wickens ownership are a Queensland certificate of registration dated 31^st May 1987 and a subsequent service invoice dated October 1987.

The car found its way to the Gold Coast and remained with another long term owner until being acquired by the current owner in 2014. By this time the car had been off the road for many years, patiently waiting to be restored.  Prior to changing hands the car had been given a bare metal respray, however, its then owner’s failing health stalled the project. Over a four year period the car was restored. The restoration included a bare metal repaint in old English white, the trim was completely re-upholstered in red leather, new carpets were fitted, a new hood lining was fitted, all the timber was refurbished with Burr Walnut all from the same tree, most of the brightwork was rechromed, insulation/sound deadening material was installed, new tyres were fitted, the brakes were overhauled, power steering was fitted and more.

The end result is a beautifully presented Jaguar Mk2 3.4 Litre Sports Saloon that is just a delight to drive. The old English paint work is fresh and vibrant with only a small number of imperfections and blemishes evident. The majority of the chrome work is excellent, though it is obvious that the door handles are original and were not rechromed as part of the restoration. Both right hand side door handles show some light pitting. The glass, rubbers, lenses and wheels are all in very good condition. It should be noted there is a small scratch on the left hand side of the rear screen. Whilst wire wheels look great on a Jaguar Mk2, we really love the traditional look of this car with its original steel wheels and hub caps.

Inside, the cabin of this Jaguar Mk2 is ‘just a lovely place to be’. Everything smells and feels fresh. And so it should as everything is essentially new. It’s hard to fault. Importantly all of the instruments and controls are in working order, including the overdrive which cuts in and out at the flick of the switch. The engine bay and boot present very cleanly, consistent with the overall condition of the car.

The owner recently drove the car 300 kms from his home to us in Brisbane and it did not miss a beat.  Not surprisingly the car performed exceptionally well on our recent test drive. There is an electric choke installed which is operated by a button under the dash. It is required for a cold start but can be switched off pretty much straight away. It should be noted that car has been fitted with an auxiliary cooling fan operated by a button adjacent to the choke.

Out on the open road this car drives really well. The engine has travelled less than 10,000 miles since it was rebuilt and it is still strong. As with all old Jaguars with a Moss gearbox you have to be considered with the gear changes and mindful that there is no synchromesh on first gear.  You are back in the saddle pretty quickly and just enjoy the drive. The car steers, handles and stops as one would expect.

Accompanying the car is its original book set with three service books, workshop manual, spare parts catalogue, incredible history file through to the mid 1980’s, tool kit, jack and a spare wheel. There is also a Shell key ring which we understand dates back to circa 1960, which is a nice touch given this history of the car.

Today the odometer reads 89,649 miles. As noted previously, the car had a speedo/odometer change in 1965, so in total the car has travelled a documented 89,649 miles plus 23,585 km.

Highlights:

• an export market car that was converted by Jaguar in Coventry to right hand drive in 1965.
• one of the most desirable specifications for a Jaguar Mk2, having the 3.4 litre engine mated to a manual gearbox with overdrive.
• ‘matching numbers’ chassis and engine.
• a fascinating history with an incredible history file through to the mid 1980’s.
• recently restored and now ready to enjoy.
• a great looking car with a real presence on the road.

This 1960 Jaguar Mk2 3.4 Litre Sports Saloon with a manual gearbox and overdrive will be a great addition to a Jaguar collection or perhaps a fabulous entry level classic car.

 

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