2023-09-17 10:02:16 | pauls writes:

Car at auction 9/23

carsonline.bonhams.com/en/listings/jaguar/340/dd80eadc-cab1-45d9-9531-e8dcbbd0d8 ...

Auction description:

Estimated value £17,000 - £22,000

This lovely 340 is fresh from a two year recommissioning process carried out by the current owner. The previous owner had the Jag for a total of 19 years and spent considerable time replacing everything underneath that it needed, including the floors, crow’s feet and various repair panels. The current owner says all the work has been carried out to such a high standard that the underside looks almost factory fresh.

With the powerful 3.4-litre straight six XK engine and a freshly serviced automatic gearbox this classic Jaguar is just waiting to blast you across continents, round winding B-roads, or simply to a country pub for a pint and a roast lunch.

Exterior

Despite the car’s sound condition the current owner wasn’t happy with the finish and fit of the external panels, so undertook a full body strip down. Every piece of external trim was removed, along with the interior and the doors, boot lid and bonnet. Following this the full shell and all the panels had a gentle soda blast to remove all the original paint.

It was discovered that the front nearside wing had had a piece leaded into its top section that the current owner wasn’t happy with, so this repair was redone. In addition, two small repairs were cut out from the lower window frame and the repair re-executed.

The boot lid had a few minor holes below the paint along the bottom edge so this was cut out and replaced as a whole. The body itself though looked as solid as it appeared before the paint was removed. The shell and all panels were then prepared, etch primed and painted in opalescent silver grey – the Jaguar’s original factory colour.

All the panels were painted off the car, along with the inside of the boot. The inside of the wheel arches and internal floors, along with the underside of the car were painted in body coloured Raptor paint, which gives a high quality finish but also protects against stone chips.

All of the external chrome trim and lights were then refitted along with various new lenses and every single exterior rubber gasket and seal was replaced, including all the door seals and front and rear window rubbers. Finally, all the door shuts were adjusted and gapped correctly.

The wheels have been powder coated in the original colour to match the body work.

The 340 looks lovely in its Opalescent Silver Grey paint, which shines with a deep lustre. The matching wheels are also in superb shape, although the Avon tyres look a little old – we’d recommend a new set before any spirited driving.

Some of the brightwork shows a little crazing in places and there are a few marks on the underside of the offside front bumper, for example, but most importantly the bodywork itself looks lovely, so if the new owner wanted to bring some of the chrome parts up to the same standard, it’s a task that could be completed as and when.

Interior

In line with the bodywork and exterior refurbishment, the interior has also had a complete rebuild. The following works have been carried out.

New column stalks fitted.

Headlining fully retrimmed.

All fur flex door seals replaced.

New underlay and insulation below all carpets.

Full high quality carpet set in its original colour supplied by Aldridge Trimming.

All walnut veneers refurbished and relacquered.

All interior trim including all seats, door cards, transmission tunnel and kick boards have all been reconnolised in their original colour.

There’s little to beat a Jaguar interior of this period, and the 340’s certainly doesn’t disappoint. It may look slightly brighter in the photographs than it does in the flesh, but either way it’s certainly no grey snore-scape like many a modern car.

The red leather seats are in great shape. all the carpets are new and the lovely wood has been relacquered, so what’s not to like? Throw in the new headlining and the whole effect is superb. If you park outside a bank with the engine running, don’t be surprised if you get your collar felt by The Sweeney.

Mechanical

The current owner bought the car in running and driving condition, and says it had no apparent issues. But because it had been off the road for a long time he ran a compression test on the engine. Happily this showed all cylinders to be within factory tolerance.

He undertook the following work:

Rocker covers removed, gaskets and chrome bolts replaced, as well as new head bolts.

New spark plugs, HT leads and distributor cap.

New oil filter, fuel filter and fuel pump.

Windscreen wiper motor replaced.

New battery.

The braking system has been completely overhauled, including a rebuild of all four calipers, new discs and pads all round, new flexi hoses and fresh brake fluid.

Automatic gearbox flushed, a new filter fitted and fresh ATF added.

New exhaust brackets.

The rear axle has been completely rebuilt with a refurb of the diff, new hubs, all new bearings and stub axles. This constitutes more than £1000 in parts alone.

The engine will be freshly tuned before the auction.

The engine bay itself doesn’t quite scale the cosmetic highs of the bodywork and interior, but the few small area that could be improved are very minor – the odd pipe that needs painting, fixings with surface blemishes – certainly nothing that affects the car’s running in any way. The 3.4-litre XK engine itself looks as iconic as ever, and the correct twin entry air cleaner assembly sits on top of it.

History Highlights

The current owner has had this 340 for two years, during which time he’s brought it up to the standard you see here. Prior to that it had been owned by the same enthusiast for nearly 20 years.

The current owner runs a classic car restoration company in north Yorkshire and currently has a lot of work on, meaning this lovely 340 needs to go. He says it’s unlikely he’ll recover the amount of money he’s put into the car, so the new owner will be getting a bargain.

The car comes with a large history file, including the original buff logbook, an invoice from when the previous owner bought the car in 1989, various old MoT certificates, and even the original document from Surrey county council dated 1967, detailing that the numberplate SPH 880F had been issued to a Jaguar 340.

There’s also the original service book with stamps from 1967 to 1973, and the original handbook listing all Jaguar UK service centres, plus a large pile of historic invoices.