1963 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 15 years of production.

In 1961 at the Geneva Motor Show Jaguar introduced the E-Type, which like the XK120 all those years ago, took the motoring world by storm. The body styling was simply gorgeous and 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. Both the 240 and 340 can easily be identified by the slim line bumpers which give the car a more sophisticated look.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1963 Jaguar MK2 3.4 Litre sports saloon..

The Heritage Certificate on file confirms this car is an Australian delivered (Brysons), factory right hand drive example with a date of manufacture of the 3^rd December 1963. The date of despatch is noted as the 12^th December 1963. It was delivered new in ‘opalescent maroon’ with a beige interior. The car was originally delivered with an automatic gearbox which at some stage has been replaced with a period correct Jaguar 4-speed manual gearbox with overdrive (type GBN).

Unfortunately, little is known of the car’s history until it was acquired by a Brisbane based classic car enthusiast and collector many years ago. He has had the car serviced over the years by local Jaguar specialists, Classic and Prestige in Geebung (Brisbane). In recent times the top end of the engine has been overhauled and other miscellaneous works undertaken.

Today the car can be best described as a ‘nice driver’. It shows lots of patina inside and out, but it is still a well presented car that oozes that charm associated with a British classic car of the 1960’s. As you will see from the photos, the paint work looks good from about a meter away. However, on closer inspection you will notice stone chips, scratches and blemishes on every panel. Most noticeable are the scrapes on the rear spats and the driver’s door. The spat on the right shows a few scratches and chips, whilst the one on the left shows cracking in the paint. There are also stone chips on the front of the car around the headlights. Although the car is presented today in its original and striking original colour of opalescent maroon, it may well have been painted light blue at some stage. There is light blue colour evident in certain areas. The overall condition of the bright work on the car is consistent with its age and the condition of the paintwork. The chrome is a feature on a Jaguar Mk2 and the major components, particularly the wire wheels, wheel spinners, badges, bumpers and overriders are in good condition. There is some light pitting evident on the smaller items of chrome trim, most noticeably the window surrounds. Importantly, the car looks to be structurally very good and the panel gaps are excellent.

The interior on this car is most likely original and the upholstery is showing its age. The stitching on the driver’s seat has been stretched, but there are no tears. The only issue is that the tunnel side of the base of the driver’s seat is damaged.  The passenger seat does have a tear in the base of the seat. As you will see from the photos the leather is worn and discoloured in places. The door cards and interior trim is in quite good condition. The leather could well be tidied up and recoloured by a specialist without the need for a full retrim. That would be a cost effective option as well as retaining the car’s originality and patina which we really like. Interestingly, the woodwork is all in very good condition. In fact, it presents really well. On these Jaguar MK 2’s it is common to see the top of the dashboard damaged and cracked, through exposure to the sun. But not on this car, the top of the dash is in good condition.  All the instruments and controls are also in good condition and look to be in working order.

So how does this cool cat drive? You slide in behind the wheel, shut the door with a solid thud and quickly feel right at home. Once you are acquainted with your surroundings, put the key into the ignition, turn the ignition on, wait a few seconds for the fuel pump to fill up those SU carburettors, press the accelerator to activate the automatic choke, then press the starter button and the car fires up almost immediately. It starts really easily and then quickly settles into a smooth idle. The steering on a Jaguar MK2 can be quite heavy at low speed, but fortunately this example is equipped with power steering. This makes manoeuvring the car quite easy as we appreciate as we exit our showroom. You merge into the traffic and feel right at home behind the wheel. Out on the open road this is indeed a nice ‘driver’s car’. The car feels solid, the engine is smooth with plenty of power on tap and the moss gearbox operates the way it should. The overdrive also engages smoothly. The car handles, steers and stops as you would expect.

Accompanying the car is a Heritage Certificate, spare wheel, jack and also a complete and very original tool kit.

The Jaguar Mk2 is a fantastic budget priced classic car and this Australian delivered, factory right hand drive example offers a lot of car for the money.

Highlights:

• Australian delivered factory right hand drive example.
• Lovely, original colour scheme.
• Recent engine work.
• A nice driver quality car offered at a realistic price.

---