1964 Jaguar MkII 3.8

This example was built on 12th February 1964 and exported to Australia. It remained there, apparently in the care of only two owners, until exported to the UK in 2009. In July of that year it was registered here on a period-correct ‘B’ plate but the following year changed hands and was re-registered with this rather valuable ‘JAG 44’ number plate, which goes with the car. That plate is estimated at £6000 to £10,000 in value – compare similar numbers and you’ll see.

At some point the car has had a very thorough repaint to an opalescent dark green – boot and engine bay just as well finished, for instance. The vendor thinks this was done prior to import but cannot be sure. In a hot, dry climate like Australia you avoid much of the rust but paint can suffer, so it’s possible that the car was deemed worthy of a nose-to-tail repaint (and other work to brightwork and interior trim) either shortly before or shortly after import to the UK.

Before it left Australia, it apparently received a fully reconditioned 3.8-litre engine and an upgraded aluminium-cased Borg-Warner T12 transmission, the same as used in the slightly later E-type 4.2 automatics, and a much nicer, lighter unit than the old DG250 ‘box. So although the engine is fighting fit, the number does not match the Heritage Certificate.

After sale from the man who imported it, it remained with one keeper in Norfolk until our vendor bought it three and half years ago. He found the car hadn’t been used much and deserved a recommissioning, which grew into a rebuild of the back axle and brakes, the suspension and eventually steering too, when the power steering rack developed a leak and had to be refurbished. The car has Coopercraft brakes all round.

It’s now mechanically ‘belt and braces’, as the vendor says, and in his words is ‘ready to drive anywhere – it doesn’t get hot in traffic, it just drives absolutely superb.’

The colour is described as ‘Opalescent Green Metallic’, and while it’s quite close to the original Sherwood Green, that one is somewhat lighter – think of those avocado bathroom suites in old houses.

It’s a beautiful coat of paint, anyway, with an excellent, even, highly reflective shine. The car was painted perhaps 15 years ago and it’s holding up fine except for a couple of minute blisters trying to form near the numberplate on the boot lid.

The panel fit and finish is good too, with the door gaps probably better than new, and the half-spats in each rear wheel arch look particularly neat. Look down each side and the flanks are impressively crisp and free from wobbles or parking dings.

There’s a lot of chrome on a Mk 2 and it’s hard to fault the brightwork on this car, with only a little age-related pitting on the rear lamp housings and minor scratches on the back bumper. Much of it must have been re-plated or replaced when the car was painted – or else the dry heat in Australia preserved it very well.

All the lenses and pieces of glass are undamaged and the badging, script and numberplates look lovely too. Even the tiny warning badge saying ‘Disc Brakes’ in the middle of the back bumper is as-new.

The car rides on gleaming chrome wires, for which there is an invoice in history folder. These are shod with Michelin XVS radials dated 2009. The ‘knock-offs’ for each wheel are in great nick.

The car was re-trimmed before the vendor’s ownership, and it’s been done in a very suitable pale natural hide with darker piping rather than the original Suede Green. Upholstery, after all, is another thing that struggles to survive fifty years of Antipodean sun.

It’s holding up well, mellowing a little but not damaged or discoloured. The carpet set, with removable front mats, looks to have been done at the same time, as does the recovered centre console. The dash is a lovely slab of figured wood with new veneer on the dash top installed in the vendor’s ownership; another victim of the blazing Aussie rays.

All the dials, gauges and switches work (‘I’m fussy about that kind of thing,’ says the vendor) as does the period radio and its single speaker. The headlining may be original but may not – the wood trim around the inside of the rear screen must have been refreshed at some point.

It’s all set off with a lovely Moto-Lita steering wheel and smart chromed handles and window-winders, and in case your passengers aren’t impressed enough with the performance, you can dazzle them with little fold-out veneered tables (sandwich ledges?) in the backs of the front seats.

In the boot, the painted steel pressings with immaculate seams support the vendor’s opinion that this car has never been welded, but more of that in the next section. We love the original tool-kit stashed in the spare wheel, too. If that wasn’t enough, there’s a posh four-layer car cover in a carry-bag and a Haynes manual, plus a battery conditioning device.

Here’s where those decades in Australia pay off – everything looks dry, crisp and sound in a way you just can’t replicate without a five-figure bodywork restoration.

The jacking points are not only intact and clean but have their rubber caps fitted, but if we really wanted to fuss over details, we found a tiny bit of flaking underseal on the spare wheel well. And if you know Mk 2 Jaguars, or indeed any British saloon of the era, you know that’s getting away very lightly indeed. A faint touch of fresh anti-corrosion wax or underseal is apparent here and there, but all the next owner will have to do is keep it clean, keep it dry, and keep it safe.

Punch that starter button and it jumps into life straight away, settling to a smooth idle around 600rpm and showing 50 psi of oil pressure when cold, settling to 20psi when hot that soon flicks up to 40 psi or more when the revs rise. The vendor has wired the inhibitor switch so the car will now only start with the transmission in P for Park – a sensible safety mod.

The engine revs freely, sounding like a healthy XK should. The vendor says the only thing he’d mention is slightly tight steering – it’s recently had new ball joints and track rod ends and needs using to loosen up a little.

The engine bay presents really well, with the original air cleaner and the large glass Lucas washer bottle full of nice, blue liquid. It’s not quite eat-your-breakfast-off-it standard for concours freaks, it’s just what a clean engine is supposed to look like.

The most detailed and recent items are the invoices from two specialists used by the vendor to get the Jaguar to its current peak of mechanical fitness. Both P&K Thornton’s and The Splined Hub attended to the car’s needs in the last year or two, producing detailed four-figure invoices for the work mentioned above – back axle, suspension, brakes, steering rack, dash top and so on.

An earlier folder with Australian history was apparently misplaced by the gentleman who owned the car before our vendor, so the documentation is all pretty recent – nothing for the earlier re-spray or re-trim, for instance. There is an HPI history check though, and a V5C in the vendor’s name.

There’s also a Jaguar Mk 2 operating, maintenance and service handbook. There are a few older MoTs and it’s just passed the test once again, though it’s obviously not required for an historic vehicle. Nonetheless, it’s a reassuring document, especially when the only advisory was for slight wear on the inside edge of the front tyres.

Finally, there are two sets of keys and a Heritage Certificate.

There’s a lot more to the Mk 2 Jag than Inspector Morse. It’s a very versatile classic: take it easy and it makes a comfy four-seat cruiser for a Sunday picnic, complete with little fold-out tea tables for the back seat passengers if you get caught in a shower. Put your foot down, though, and 220bhp surges to the back wheels and turns you into Gentleman Jack Sears. Yes, this example may be an automatic, but slow it ain’t.

We think this one will sell for between £25,000 and £35,000. That wide estimate is due to a couple of factors: anyone who recognises this car’s tremendous condition and on-the-button status will rightly place that above any thoughts about specification, but at the same time, we know that manual examples traditionally fetch more…despite the challenges of the Moss ‘box.

Yet this one is a rare, high-spec example in its own right, with the 3.8-litre engine and factory power steering. Above all, there’s the bonus of that very valuable registration. 

If you’re actively seeking an automatic over a manual, it’s your lucky day. Could you get any closer to a four-door E-type?

Viewing is always encouraged and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.