2022-12-23 10:07:44 | pauls writes:

Car offered at:

www.carandclassic.com/auctions/1961-jaguar-mk-2-38-rhd-gNKjKn_aaid=a5ce63ed-6419-48b8-adb6-8692f74daf04&bsft_eid=e63dbf22-cfe5-49ad-a64 ...

Seller's description:

1961 Jaguar MK2 3.8 RHD

Gunmetal

Odometer 3,655 Kilometres

Engine size 3781

Town Dax

Seller Type Trade

Location International

Country France

Good, solid example

Desirable 3.8 manual

RHD car, originally sold in the UK

Retrimmed interior and restored wooden cappings

Original buff log book

First supplied to Cyril Williams Motors Ltd of Wolverhampton in 1961

Originally registered as 8921 JW

Original owners’ manual

Factory document wallet

Exported to Germany several years ago – export paperwork included

Now part of collection in France

Easy to reimport to UK 

MOT and tax exempt in UK 

THE INTERIOR

Very good red leather

Previously retrimmed

Wood-capped doors and dash

Good original headlining 

While the exterior of the Mk 2 shows its age, the cabin is in superb order, the red seats retrimmed to a very high standard and the rest of the interior in beautifully preserved order, with restored wood veneers and original door cards and a what looks like a good headlining (one small hole is present).

There’s also a glorious late-1960s Becker radio-cassette player from the very early days of compact cassettes – a highly collectable item in its own right.

The luggage bay is clean and clear with wear to the floor mat, while the original spare wheel and tools are present.

THE EXTERIOR 

Gunmetal Metallic

Wire wheels

Tired exterior paintwork 

Appears very solid underneath

While it might not gleam like a concours restoration, the Mk 2 is a wonderfully honest example that appears to be structurally excellent in all the right places. The chassis has seen previous welded repairs, but they’re neat and well-finished, as well as being properly painted and protected for the future. 

There’s very little body rust, either – a smattering of rust bubbles to the rear of the near-side front wheel arch and on the bottom of the off-side rear wheel arch, but nothing horrendous or seemingly difficult to sort out as it is all non-perforating.

The chrome is largely presentable, too, albeit with minor pitting. The paint will require rectification if you want to turn the Mk 2 into a show car, though, as it’s faded and dull all over, with several areas where it has worn away, cracked or bloomed. The shabby chic look has an appeal of its own and if you want a Mk 2 3.8 to simply drive and enjoy, or to use as a basis for a historic motorsport project it’s fine as it is, but if it’s a show car you want then you’ll need to budget for a respray.

 THE MECHANICS 

3.8-litre XK engine

Manual transmission

120mph performance

Runs and drives

Rebuilt front drivetrain 

Although this is a project car and a thorough inspection is recommended before using it on the road, it does run and drive and goes into all gears, with functioning disc brakes and a smart and well-presented engine bay. The front drivetrain has been completely overhauled as evidenced in the pictures. The owner informs us that the carburettors will need to be synchronized. 

Moreover, it’s the 3.8 – the very same engine as used in the E-Type and a devilishly quick car for its day, coupled to an overdrive-equipped four-speed manual transmission that allows for quick off-the-mark performance and extremely civilised high-speed cruising.