1964 Jaguar Mk2 3.8 Litre Sedan (manual with overdrive)

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 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.

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1964 Jaguar Mk2 sedan. This is an Australian delivered, factory RHD example that was originally finished in ‘golden sand metallic’.

The car has its original service book which confirms it was sold new by Brysons to a Mrs GI Dickson from South Yarra in Victoria. This car was originally fitted with a 3.4 litre engine and an automatic gearbox.

Mrs Dickson owned the car through until 1980 and at that time she was no longer able to drive the car. Subsequently, it was sold to the Service Manager at Bryson Motors. The car was understood to be in immaculate condition and the service book is regularly stamped (at Bryson Industries in South Melbourne) from December 1964 through until May 1976.

The car was acquired by Mr WH Allison from Launceston in Tasmania in 1993. At that time the car had travelled circa 68,000 miles. In Tasmania the car was registered as DF8947. Allison decided to restore and upgrade the car. In circa 1994 the car was treated to a bare metal respray in British racing green and most of the brightwork was rechromed. It was at this time that the 3.4 litre engine was replaced with a 3.8 litre engine (engine number prefix ‘LC’ which confirms it was from a 3.8 litre Mk2) that was rebuilt by Kim Stafford.  Other upgrades included fitting 2” carburettors and a manifold from a 420G, upgrading the suspension & shock absorbers and fitting new Dayton wire wheels. Mike Roddy then fitted a manual gearbox from a 3.8 S-Type, and XJS power steering.  The seats were retrimmed, new carpets fitted, the timber refurbished and the finishing touch was the addition of a Recaro (Motolita) 15” steering wheel. The car was then sold in 1997 and it has been retained in the same family ever since. The car was regularly used through until 2007 and often as a daily driver. There is a thick file of service/general maintenance receipts from this period. This Jaguar Mk2 was part of a large collection of classic cars and it was used sparingly in the last ten years or so. The car is now offered for sale from a deceased estate.

Prior to offering this car for sale Oldtimer Australia has assisted with its recommissioning. The car has had both carburettors rebuilt, been tuned, had the clutch master & slave cylinders overhauled, minor electrical faults rectified, some front & rear suspension bushes replaced, other miscellaneous mechanical works and cosmetic repairs undertaken.  All the work was undertaken by recognized classic car specialists in Brisbane. The end result is a beautifully presented and driving Jaguar Mk2 that has the desirable 3.8 litre engine and manual gearbox with overdrive combination.

Today this car presents and drives extremely well. The British racing green exterior with biscuit interior is ‘a traditional and lovely’ colour combination that is complemented perfectly by the chrome wire wheels. Even though the car has an older repaint, it still presents well with a strong depth of colour. There is the odd stone ship and imperfection evident, however, they do not detract from the overall appearance of the car. The most noticeable defects are on the cowel panel below the windscreen.  All of the chrome and external trim are in very good condition. The only exceptions are the rear tail light surrounds and boot lift/number plate light assembly which are pitted. The front windscreen has been scratched by the top of both wiper arms at some stage. Inside, the cabin has just the right amount of patina and it is ‘just a lovely place to be’. Everything was refreshed almost 30 years ago, but it has aged exceptionally well. There are no rips or tears to the upholstery, which remains subtle and presents beautifully. All of the interior trim, timber work, instruments and controls are in very good condition with only the carpets showing some signs of wear.

Following its recent recommissioning the car starts easily and the first impressions are ‘wow, what a terrific exhaust note’.  After a few minutes to warm up it is ‘all systems go’.  And ‘go’ this car does! It has loads of power on tap and in fact it is just a delight to drive. The gearbox is smooth and the car handles, steers and stops as one would expect.

The engine bay and boot present very cleanly, consistent with the overall condition of the car.

Accompanying the car is its original book set, a service manual, spare parts catalogue, history file, tool kit, jack and a spare wheel.

Today the odometer reads 97,282 miles.

Highlights:

• an Australian delivered factory right hand drive example.
• one of the most desirable specifications for a Jaguar Mk2, having the 3.8 litre engine mated to a manual gearbox with overdrive.
• recently recommissioned and now ready to enjoy.
• a great looking car with a real presence on the road.
• it is well presented and fantastic to drive.

This 1964 Jaguar Mk2 3.8 Litre Sedan 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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