1962 Jaguar MKII 3.4

Our 1962 3.4 was bought in April this year by Macclesfield-based enthusiast Angus. Since selling his business at the beginning of the year, he’s been doing what most of us would do with a few bob jingling in our pockets – buying classics.

Funnily enough though, Angus didn’t set out to buy this Jaguar. He was in Italy when he heard of a nice Austin-Healey coming up for auction in the UK. His pal, who went along to the auction on Angus’s behalf, called him to report that the A-H had a mechanical issue but that there was a very nice Mark 2 Jaguar approaching the block and did he fancy putting in a bid? Angus was sitting in Bologna airport at the time, but on the strength of his pal’s recommendation he pressed the button and became the owner of this Mark 2 3.4.

Over the summer Angus has been driving and gently reviving the car, which was showing the odd sign of under-use by the previous custodian, an octagenarian who had enjoyed it for a remarkable 37 years from 1982. The first owner (Torquay hotelier Terence Hawkins) stewarded it for the first 20 years of its life. Because Angus wasn’t sure whether he would be keeping the car or moving it on, he registered it as a dealer vehicle. As such it’s still technically a two-owner car. Looking at the ownership background, there is a very fair chance that the 70,000 miles recorded is correct, although of course that can’t be guaranteed.

Having now found the Austin Healey he was looking for, and with a Mercedes SL63 alongside a beautiful Kamm-tailed Alfa Spider that he bought from The Market this year (we told you he was on a spree!), Angus has run out of garage space. His biggest love is for convertibles, so the Jaguar sadly has to go.

Originally supplied in Opalescent Dark Green, this 3.4 has at some point been resprayed in a matching but non-metallic dark green. Some of the pictures that Angus took for this ad suggest a few scratches here and there, but some if not most of these are actually polish residue rather than scratches. Overall the repaint is standing up very well indeed.

Angus, who wields a mean magnet, tells us that the 3.4 is sound in all the key Mark 2 areas – chassis, wing tops, door bottoms, base of the A-pillars, and jacking points. There has been some welding done by the two previous owners at some stage, and there’s a small dink to the edge of the driver’s door, but Angus tells us that the sills are ‘all good’ and that there is no filler anywhere on the car. If correct, that would be amazing.

Wire wheels seem to be almost obligatory on Mark 2s these days, even on not-so-sporting 2.4s, so it’s actually a nice change to see classic ‘steelies’ and proper Jaguar chromed hubcaps on this 3.4, marking it out as a gentleman’s carriage rather than a bounder’s conveyance.

For whatever reason no holes are in situ for the boot badging. It could be that the boot panel is a replacement item. A full set of badges will be supplied with the car. The rest of the chrome is in terrific nick and beautifully sets off the paint.

Again this 3.4 shows all the classic signs of much owner love down the years. The piped leather is not original, but whoever did the retrim of seats, centre console and door cards obviously knew what they were about as it’s all still in excellent shape, with just small rubbing marks on the trailing edge of one of the cards. The back seats look like they haven’t been much polished by either trouser or skirt, and the dash veneers and door cappings are all well lacquered, lustrous and flat, with a lovely South Devon Garages plaque below the glovebox lid. The black grain backing for the minor instruments is untorn.

The carpets have been replaced with a high-quality bound set, including the boot. We’re not sure if the headlining has been replaced: our guess is that it hasn’t, but that it looks like it has, is a very good thing. The opera lights in the rear both work, as do the veneered picnic tables.

That is an original Radiomobile radio, in case you were wondering, and it works too, although Angus doesn’t recall picking up much on it other than a bit of sport, possibly cricket, on medium band. Does long wave even exist any more? Probably not. Who cares? It all sounds just about perfect to us.

Although few old Jaguars outside of a museum will ever be totally continent when it comes to fluids, there’s a pleasing dryness about the underside of this one. Most previous owners of 1960s Jaguars will, you would have thought, have put some effort into protecting their cars from the ravages of rust. This particular Jaguar has clearly been undersealed at least once, and by the looks of things that preventative work seems to have paid off.

The underbonnet area is functional, tidy and incredibly original, to the extent that some of the braiding to the hoses and wiring has seen better days. You’ll either think that this is all part of the charm of the car or you’ll want to set to with a gradual programme of renewal. Either way it’s a win, and sorting out this type of thing is surely what weekends are for?

Importantly, the car comes with 2 sets of keys, the original sales brochure and owner's handbook, along with the original tool kit in the spare wheel well. It’s incomplete but it does include a Dunlop bleeder tube for the brakes, which is a nice period touch.

There’s paperwork to show the money Angus has spent on the car this year. It’s had five new tyres fitted and the wheels balanced, plus new engine oil and rear axle oil, a new exhaust rear section to replace the angled back pipes, new spark plugs, a new air filter element, a new seat belt, and various miscellaneous fixings.

The correct amount of transmission fluid was put in the gearbox after it was found that it had been overfilled. A leak from the power steering box was improved but not totally eradicated – not entirely unusual for a 57-year old Mark 2.

Wiring to a non-functioning headlight was fixed and new rubber seals were put on the rear light units, along with replacement switches for the panel lights and heater fan. New relays cured a non-functioning horn and windscreen wiper motor. As a result of Angus’s input, the car now has no known driving issues. ‘It goes well, stops straight and makes a nice rorty noise,’ he reports.

There’s a Jaguar Heritage Trust certificate in the file to confirm the car’s original colour of Opalescent Dark Green with beige interior. The certificate also shows that the first dealer was South Devon Garages in Torquay, which ties in perfectly with the local hotelier who was the first owner.

Although cars of this vintage don’t require MOT certificates, this Jaguar was put through the test in February and passed.

Angus bought this car in early Spring this year and has since invested around £2,000 – as well as a not insignificant amount of time – into reinvigorating it. With an estimate of £19,000 - £24,000, this could be a fantastic opportunity for someone – maybe a first-time Mark 2 buyer – to take over the curation process while also enjoying the inimitable feeling of a big 1960s Jag stretching its legs on an open A-road.

We always encourage viewings. This Jaguar is located at Angus’s premises in Macclesfield. He warmly invites interested parties to click the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to arrange a viewing.

Ahead of that, or at any time during the process, you’re more than welcome to ask any questions or jot down observations in the comments section below. You won’t be shocked to hear that our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section will answer general questions that are frequently asked about how The Market works.

Also please note that we have a network of trusted suppliers with whom we work regularly and successfully: 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.