2021-08-08 12:57:46 | pauls writes:

Car at auction 8/21

themarket.co.uk/en/listings/jaguar/420g/de3a030b-d6b7-42d2-9395-2964d9371038

Auction description:

Location: Carmarthen, United Kingdom

Odometer Reading: 79000

Engine: 4.2

Gearbox: Auto

Steering position: RHD

Colour: Sable over Ascot Fawn

Interior: Cinnamon

Estimated Price: £8,000 - £13,000

This particular 420G appears to have been somewhat of a globe-trotter throughout its lifetime, though its history is somewhat patchy.

From what we can tell, the car was originally registered in the UK during 1970, and subsequently made its way to the United States, where it resided for a number of years.

It was then purchased from the US during 2013, and then re-imported to the UK from New York during the same year, being brought in via Southampton docks.

Following it’s return to British soil, the car appears to have spent some time on the Isle of Wight judging from the paperwork, before coming into the hands of the former owner who was a classic car dealer.

Initially sold to a client, the gearbox then failed and the vehicle was returned. Since then, the gearbox has undergone a costly full rebuild before the car went back into long-term dry storage. However, due to the sad passing of the owner, the car has only travelled a handful of miles since the rebuild, and is now being sold by a close family friend.

On the Outside

The sable-over-fawn bodywork exudes a classy, upmarket mood, which sits well with the imposing nature of the 420G’s bodywork.

Looking around, the body itself is nice and straight, with no sign of any major dents, dings or tell-tale signs of impact damage, which is very good news indeed.

There are a few cosmetic marks - most notably on the front offside wing - though these have been photographed and shown in the gallery below. The chrome around the windows and on the front and rear bumpers wears a light patina and patches of pitting, though from afar still presents fantastically.

Lower down, there are signs of bubbling and what appears to be surface corrosion around the lips of the arches, which has also been photographed, along with a small patch of bubbling on the inner edge of the bonnet on the offside.

On the Inside

Inside, it is clear that this car has been in long-term storage as it has the familiar ‘classic car storage smell’ which many of us are familiar with. However, it still presents rather well.

It is obvious that the carpets and over-mats need a significant cleaning and valet, and the driver’s mat may be beyond repair. The sun-visors also need attention as they do not stay folded up off their own accord any more, being instead held in-place by some strategically placed velcro.

The seats, by contrast, are in excellent condition and there is an invoice in the history folder suggesting they were a new set fitted after the car was repatriated from the US, though sadly the invoice is undated, so it is impossible to ascertain exactly when they were fitted to the car.

Elsewhere, the headlining is in great shape and displays no signs of sagging, whilst the door cards, dashboard and steering wheel show only light wear, though the latter will need a thorough cleaning before use due to being stored for an extended period of time.

Underneath

The 4.2-litre inline-six engine certainly takes up plenty of real-estate in the engine bay, and, in this case, looks to be in very good health visually.

Whilst a jump-pack was needed to get the car going due to the battery being devoid of power, the car fires into life almost instantaneously, and idles in the refined way that one would expect from a high-end Jaguar product.

As far as we could see, the car was happy to drive, turn and stop, though there was a slight belt squeal noted whilst the car was on full-lock when manoeuvring. As we’ve stated, and as shown in the history folder, the gearbox has recently undergone a major overhaul and restoration, and is in excellent working order.

Looking underneath, the chassis of this 420G didn’t scream, shout or set off any alarm bells during our inspection. The most recent MOT test would also suggest that the chassis is in good shape, noting only ‘heavy under seal’ in addition to the failure items of all four tyres being in poor condition, and a broken windscreen wash jet.

Should the new owner wish, the vendor has stated he would be happy to arrange four new tyres at the buyer’s expense, in order to provide a full 12-month MOT certificate before the car is collected.

History Highlights

Whilst we weren’t able to get any first-hand history of the car, the folder that accompanies this Jaguar 420G is comprehensive in its nature, documenting the work carried out on the car both before and after the vehicle returned to the UK.

As far as we could see, there were no documents from the vehicle’s time in the states, but the import invoices are present, along with various other receipts and miscellaneous paperwork.

In terms of particularly noteworthy invoices, there is one document pertaining to a brake calliper rebuild in 2013, a new headlining in 2013, and a full automatic gearbox rebuild in September 2018 at the cost of £2,376.