2007-10-15 07:00:13 | pauls writes:

Ebay item 7/15/07
cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Jaguar-JAGUAR-MARK-9-MK-IX-W-4-Spd-OD-Very-Very-Rare_W0Q ...
Opening big $14,999, no bids yet, 9 days left in auction. Buy it now price $15,000.

Sellers description:
You are looking at what is probably one of only 3 roadable left-hand drive Jaguar MK IX with a 4 speed manual transmission in the world.

From 1951 thru 1961 Jaguar built a total of 31,000 MK VII, VIIM, VIII, & IX, inclusive, in both left-hand and right-hand drive configurations. Less than 5% of these were fitted with 4 speed manual transmissions with overdrive. These vehicles were all fitted with bucket seats. All others were equipped with Borg-Warner automatics and nearly all had bench-style seats. Unfortunately, if your automatic breaks down it is virtually impossible to find repair parts. If you are lucky enough to find them they can cost as much as a new transmission. This beast has none of those problems. Its manual transmission is practically bullet-proof and it shares the same clutch assembly as was made famous by the XK series. Regrettably the reason there are so few cars with stick shifts still around is because they were a hot item with racers and suffered terminal crashes. And too, these cars are prone to rust and most have been relegated to the salvage yard crusher. According to the Jaguar MK VII,VIII,IX Registry, less than 400 are still on the road today.

This is the ideal car to prep for Vintage Racing, or leave it as is and use it as a Sunday driver. I have owned four MK IX’s. The last one carried me over 7,000 miles across the country in a single trip. It ran at highway speeds….. or above….., and needed nothing more than the occasional stop for gasoline. So don’t believe stories about them being unreliable. That refers to later models built in the ‘70s. MK IX’s are rock solid.

The exterior is black with a grey inset. The interior is grey wool and red leather with red wool carpeting. Seat leather is red. This car has the requisite bucket seats and the tray tables operate according to spec. All the burl wood is complete and in good shape. Unheard of for a sedan of this era and a first for Jaguar, 4-wheel disc brakes. Surprise… they’re power.

NOW THE NEGATIVES
Although it starts readily and runs smoothly it is not currently registered for road use. So test drives will have to be limited to the property owner by the mini-storage where I keep it.

Plus the tires, although in good condition with excellent tread, are old. I, personally, would not trust them on the highway at freeway speeds.

The generator should be rebuilt. The light comes on at idle and goes off when the engine is revved.. It is a simple matter if you are mechanically inclined and know how.

Most importantly, the clutch is weak. It holds well enough for a drive around the block or to get it on and off the trailer. But, it slips under heavy acceleration. It needs to be replaced. Luckily it’s the same clutch assembly used by Jaguar for this and XK models with manual transmissions.

THIS CAR IS NOT PERFECT!!! Please don’t expect to buy it to take to Pebble Beach for a Best of Show win. This is a very nice USED vehicle. It has had rust in all, or most of the usual places. All of which were patched. It has been repainted as you would expect any car of this era. I suspect that this was when the rust repairs were made and it received the two-tone paint. It’s a great 20-footer.

Rebuild the clutch and generator and drive it, as is, for another 150,000 miles.