1957 Jaguar MARK 1 2.4 SE

Manufactured on October 30, 1957 and sent to original dealer Rossleigh Limited of Edinburgh, Scotland, chassis S908829 was bought by Walter Henry Chill. He would remain the car’s only owner until two years ago. 

‘It was taken off the road in 1977, when he fell ill,’ explains vendor David Duffy. ‘The last tax disc is still present on the car and MOT certificates from the Seventies show the mileage at circa 75,000 at the time.’ 

Our man bought the car two years ago, after the family of the first owner put the car up for sale when he passed away. ‘It had never been restored, merely well maintained. It was, and therefore still is, in original condition throughout and the mileage now shows 77,000.’

Although it was running, it needed proper attention and David – an engineer by profession – carried out the following work:

Brake overhaul including re-sleeving the calipers and a new servo

Replacement of all water hoses and system flushed

Electrical system tested, adjusted and new fan belt fitted

Radio restored and converted to FM

Positive earth retained and cut-out switch fitted

Carburettor overhaul and refurbishment of the fuel pump and tank

New sender unit and air filter element

Headlining replaced (correct shade of green)

Full oil changes and chassis and bearing lubrication

New plugs and points, re-timed and tuned

New (correct) vacuum screen washer pump

In addition, he also had the exterior paintwork professionally buffed and the original interior carpets and leather cleaned. 

‘I’d been looking for a Mk1 and at the time it ticked all my boxes. Half the fun of buying a classic car is getting it to run properly, and it now does. Just press the button and off it goes – hey presto. My wife and I, and friends, do use the car – 300 miles to Silverstone and back, or 100 miles to the Norfolk coast. It’s a very usable example. 

Why is he selling then? ‘At the beginning of this year I was offered a Mark 1 3.4. Its patina isn’t quite as nice, but it has an excellent body, wire wheels and the bigger engine. Much as I like Mk1s, I only require one.’

The rush towards restoration is the current fashion, classiche this and classiche that. However find an unmolested, original classic car of any ilk and the value will often outstrip that of its newly cosmetically perfect brethren. 

Our pictures make it clear that every element of this car exudes a wonderful patina. From a bodywork perspective that means there are some blemishes to the paintwork, which have had some touching up during its lifetime – but show me another 62 year-old that hasn’t! In fact, it wears these with unashamed pride. 

The buffing that David had carried out has endowed the British Racing Green paintwork with a reasonably nice level of shine. ‘The car was under sealed from new,’ explains David. ‘Removing the door cards reveals that the inside of the doors had preventative rust treatment too.’  

Panel fit remains mightily impressive and David says the doors still shut with just a ‘fingertip push and a satisfying “clunk”.’ The chrome is slightly pitted on the bumpers, whereas the window surrounds are brilliant. 

The only non-original items on the car are the rear light clusters. These are Mk2 units and give a much brighter light, as well as – from a safety point of view – brake and indicator lights that work simultaneously 

We love the Dunlop Disc Brakes sticker in the rear window, imperfect steel wheels and chrome hubcaps with their slight pitting and its overall presentation as a bluff, hardy old survivor in wonderful condition. 

Oh my, welcome to the Gentlemen’s Club of 1957 – the interior remains in glorious time warp condition. The dashboard wood is lightly faded and a little chipped on top, but relatively unmarked on its vertical face, while the remainder of the other woodwork is aged, but in otherwise excellent condition. 

Leather is very good and while used, it is not torn or worn and it’s a similar story with the carpets. The vendor also says that the seats do not sag either. Period inertia reel front and rear lap seat belts are fitted. Up above, the headlining looks perfect and both sun visors remain in place. 

‘Close inspection of the underside show that no panels have been replaced, or need to be,’ says David. As our comprehensive picture gallery below demonstrates, there’s no place to hide on The Market and they look to confirm this. Again, as with any prospective purchase, we recommend hitting the ‘contact seller’ button above and booking a viewing. 

There’s a fair covering of oil directly above the prop shaft, which from a protective point of view is a good thing. Brake caliper condition confirms David’s recent work on the system and the stainless steel exhaust system looks to be a fresh addition. 

In the boot sits the original spare wheel (and housed within it is a full set of original specification tools), jack and wrench. While up front, pop the bonnet and we wouldn’t change a thing. The rusty brake fluid reservoir, radiator cap and an air filter that looks as if it’s seen a thing or two lend it a superb period ambience. David says that there’s a slight leak from the rear oil seal, but that’s it. 

‘The car performs very well with correct oil pressure and no overheating. The overdrive functions as it should giving 70mph at 3000rpm. On that recent 300-mile trip to Silverstone it ran without any issues with no need for topping up either the water or oil.’ 

The current V5 is included and shows one former owner of the Mk1. Also present is the previous V5 and a handful of MOT certificates from the Seventies, confirming the current mileage as correct. 

There’s also the original Jaguar operating, maintenance and service handbook. These have been reprinted in recent times, but to have an original is rare indeed. 

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and a few other bits of paperwork. However we believe that the condition pictures and owner testimony both support our claim that this car has been maintained to the very highest standard. 

You just can’t buy patina like this. Well actually, that sentiment is wrong, because you can. We think between £19,500 and £25,000 will secure this lovely, beautifully aged example. It’s certainly one that we feel the next owner will have a duty of care to ensure that it’s maintained in its current condition. With that will come perhaps a small amount of pressure, but also a modicum of pride at being its next custodian. 

The fact that the car has not been restored means that it remains in its original condition; as seen this includes the paintwork, chrome, leather seats, carpets, woodwork and all major mechanical and electrical components. The chassis number (S 908829 DN) is verified by stampings on both the body (in front of the radiator) and on the chassis plate. 

With two very careful owners, the second of whom is an engineer and has carried out a meticulous and sympathetic re-commissioning, this old beast remains stately in its originality. The registration is also original to the car, and in itself would be valuable if (criminally?!) sold separately. 

Cars surviving in condition such as this come up very rarely – if a Mark 1 ticks your box, then the very best of luck. Secure it, and travelling to the Goodwood Revival will never be the same again.  

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located at the owner’s Northwood home; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.