1968 Jaguar 240

Details

Oldtimer Australia is delighted to offer for sale a 1968 Jaguar 240. This Australian delivered, factory right hand drive example has the desirable manual gearbox.

The Jaguar 240 is in many ways different to the Jaguar Mk2 2.4. A number of improvements were applied to the 240 to make it a far better car to drive compared to the early Mk2 2.4’s. The engine has a straight-port type cylinder head, twin HS6 SU carburettors (which are a considerable improvement over the Solex carburettors on the Mk2 2.4) and a new inlet manifold. As a result, output of the 2.4 engine was increased from 120 hp to 133 hp. At the same time, torque was increased as well. All this resulted in the 240 being able to exceed 100 mph, something its predecessor could never do.

The Heritage Certificate on file confirms this is an Australian delivered (Brysons), factory right hand drive car with a date of manufacture of the 29^th May 1968. The date of despatch is noted as the 17^th July 1968. This Jaguar 240 was delivered new in cream with a red amla interior. The car is fully ‘matching numbers’. The chassis, engine, gearbox and the body numbers are as noted on the Heritage Certificate.

This car is very well known to Oldtimer Australia, having sold it three times previously. We sold it to the previous owner in early 2016 and then the current owner in early 2018 and then back to the previous owner in 2021. When we first acquired this Jaguar 240, it was a single family-owned car that was delivered new in Adelaide by local Jaguar agent Bryson Jaguar and registered as RLK 888. Its first owner bought the car in 1968 as a retirement present to himself at 61 years of age. He cherished the car and drove it literally to church, choir practice and golf until his death at the age of 94 in 2001. At that time the car had travelled approx. 78,000 miles. From new the car was registered in both the owners and his son’s name and in 2001 the car was then brought to Brisbane. It was then repainted (in its original colour), re-upholstered (in its original colour) together with new trimming and wood work. At that time power steering was also fitted. It was then essentially used as a daily driver and had travelled approximately 140,000 miles by 2015.

The owner then spent a significant sum of money to bring the car up to a condition that his father would have been proud of. The interior was freshened up, which included the following: the car was recarpeted, had the roof lining replaced, the front seats had been repaired and recoloured, the timber polished and the steering wheel refurbished. The car also had some body repairs and paint touch-ups, mostly in the boot.

When the previous owner acquired the car, the odometer was at 42,733 miles. Whilst the car still presents really well, he is a ‘driver and not a polisher’ and he has used and enjoyed the car as its makers intended. The car travelled just over 5,000 miles in his 3½ years of ownership. To improve the driving experience, he upgraded the shock absorbers and fitted a heavy-duty front sway bar. Today the odometer reads 47,872 miles confirming the current owner has used the car only sporadically and has done only 61 miles in his ownership. A change in circumstances means the owner is now regretfully offering the car for sale again.

The car starts easily with a full choke needed from cold. You can back the choke off pretty much straight away and the engine settles into a smooth idle. Out on the open road this cool cat is a great car to drive. The engine has plenty of power on tap and it revs willingly through the rev range. The gearbox shifts up and down without any hesitation and the car performs as it should.

Its current condition is ‘just lovely’. The car could be described as just like your favourite leather jacket “. . . well worn with just the right amount of patina.” The paintwork, chrome, trim and glass are all in very good condition. On closer inspection there are some blemishes, small chips and cracks in the paint, but from say a meter it is really good. The cockpit is just fabulous and just how you would want it to be. The leather is in great condition with just the right amount of patina. There are no rips or tears. All of the timber is in good condition as is the interior trim and all of the instruments.

The colour combination of cream with the red interior is stunning and it is beautifully complimented by the ‘as new’ wire wheels, which are fitted with Suretrac Power Touring P205/70R15 tyres dated stamped 2016.

The car is accompanied by a file of receipts going back to 2001, an owner’s manual, jack, and a mostly complete tool kit.

Apart from the power steering, the car is extremely original and its condition is a credit to its previous owners. It’s a pleasure to be able to offer such a lovely original and unmolested car.

Highlights:

• Australian delivered, factory right hand drive Jaguar 240.
• Single family ownership until 2015.
• Genuine three owner car.
• Well-presented and a great car to drive.

The Jaguar 240 is a relatively rare model and quite frankly great value compared to the other Jaguar Mk2’s

 

Background

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’.

Whilst the Jaguar name is synonymous for sporting cars it is also recognised for building some of the world’s best luxury saloons. Jaguar was and still is uniquely positioned in the market in this regard.

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.

---