1966 Jaguar MkII 4.2 Auto

Vendor Phil Ternent is proprietor of Newcastle-upon-Tyne based Northumbria Classic Car hire (northumbriaclassics.com) and bought this MkII in 2014 alongside another example, from a chap called Dinky.

“He was a small chap – hence the name – and was a collector, as well as dealer principal of a large new car franchise. A friend knew I was looking for a Mk2 and pointed me in his direction. He had a Opalescent Gold project that had stalled and when I asked to buy it, he insisted that I buy this one as well – so I ended up with two.”

The Gold car was handed to Heritage Classics in Teeside for completion. I chose that company as it has an excellent reputation for classic car restoration and was recommended by other members of the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club and E-Type Club. It’d also carried out previous work on our E-Types.

At the very end of restoration, with the car’s first hire arranged for a few days’ time, a bearing failed in the gearbox on a test drive and it was decided to take the gearbox out of the Blue car and fit it into the Gold car.

“When work started on the Blue car, Heritage suggested converting it to Vicarage/Beacham type spec and so that’s what we did. A 4.2-litre engine from a ’77 Daimler Sovereign and later Borg Warner 65 automatic gearbox (with a floor, rather than column shift) were used. It also fitted up-rated brakes and electric power steering, and the interior was restored with some recently re-covered Reuter reclining front seats, new Grey wool head cloth, walnut dashboard, new seatbelts, and hands-free Bluetooth DAB retro radio system.

“Anything else in need of attention was carried out – hence over £30,000 of work. It’s worth looking through the receipts, as things like the radiator, oil cooler, fuel pump, ignition system, suspension components, etc were all renewed. The differential was overhauled with the correct ratio for the 4.2 engine. New wire wheel hubs and spinners were also fitted and a set of used wire wheels from one of our other E-Types, with all new Vredestein tyres.”

The result is one serious bit of kit and a good-looking car to boot – so why is Phil selling? “It’s beautiful,” he says. “But it’s the wrong colour for brides and weddings. The Opalescent Sand Gold car gets far more bookings. The Blue car just doesn’t get enough; so either it goes or we paint it Gunmetal Grey (so it matches the men’s suits).”

There’s no doubt that, while the colour may not catch brides’ eyes, for those without nuptial considerations it’s one stunning hue. It’s difficult to find any exterior flaw. Panels line up very smartly and the paintwork is superb. Brightwork, including those lovely wire wheels, gleams and further complements a strong exterior package.

“The actual bodywork required was minimal,” explains Phil. “The paint was stripped and the shell itself was largely rust free. The crows’ feet and front chassis cross member below the radiator were replaced, but the rest required no attention other than the high-quality repaint in the original colour.

Popping the doors reveals lovely clean sills and fresh rubbers and body seals give an idea of the cleanliness of this example. A chrome ‘GB’ badge is fitted at the rear and suits the look, and thanks to minimal bookings those tyres remain as good as new.

There’s one word to sum up the exterior of this car and that is: gorgeous.

If you think the outside is good, then it’s matched in the cabin – only the best will do for the bride and groom. The woodwork has been restored very well and the headlining still looks factory fresh. The Oxford Blue is a nice contrast to the exterior colour and overall, it’s an extremely pleasing cabin.

Its looks remain relatively standard, with only the tunnel-mounted auto-shift hinting at its upgrades – but as Phil says that’s “a small price to pay for smoother shifts and bags of power and torque.”

The steering wheel’s central Growler motif has a touch of patina, but we don’t mind that. Front seats are really well bolstered and rear ones restored; the modern retro DAB radio is a fairly unobtrusive looking unit and suits the cabin, while lending modern accessibility.

The seatbelts were all replaced and you’ll find the original tool kit in the boot. You will notice that the boot floor wasn’t re-sprayed, so it has one or two scrapes and scratches but that simply provides a reminder of its nice pre-restoration rust-free condition.

“It really does drive excellently,” says Phil. “It’s very relaxed and easy to pilot with the extra torque from the 4.2 and smooth, later auto box. There’s plenty of power when you engage kick-down and the up-rated brakes are really strong and have great feel. The electric power steering is also adjustable for assistance and a lovely upgrade that makes the car very usable when parking, etc.

That’s a pretty comprehensive description of how it drives; we’ll just add that we’ve taken it out once or twice and it’s great fun, and just as described.

It still looks top-notch underneath, too. There’s a full stainless steel exhaust system fitted, as well as those uprated (Zeus) brakes. Pop the bonnet and you’ll see that a new radiator, electric cooling fan, water pump and coolant pipes were also fitted. The dynamo was converted to an alternator, and a Hitorq started is in place, as is electronic ignition, a new fuel pump and a new galvanised fuel tank.

You’ll find some photographs of the car’s bare-metal repaint in the history file, which gives complete piece of mind. As Phil says, “sometimes cars can look perfect after a fresh repaint but hide all manner of horrors underneath, but you can be 100 per cent confident that’s not the case here!”

It also has a current MOT certificate that runs until 28/03/2022 and the included V5 document lists the first date of registration as 20/12/1966. Also present is a Jaguar Heritage Trust Production Record Trace Certificate, which lists its original specifications (including colour and all relevant numbers) and the original distributor/dealer (W L Thompson of Hull).

All invoices from the car’s restoration are included and serious bidders should definitely take their time to leaf through these and gauge the comprehensive level of works carried out.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of the paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored, upgraded and maintained to the very highest of standards.

What a car. Anyone thinking of bidding should watch the video below to gauge its condition and then watch (and re-watch) from 2 minutes 41 seconds; the in-cabin engine note is glorious and it only gets better at 3 minutes 30 seconds when the raspy stainless steel exhaust system joins the party – oof.

“The restoration was perfect and, as can be seen by the photos, that’s the reason why after 4 years the paintwork is still as it was when completed. It’s also been ultra-reliable and has been used on the television show Antiques Road Trip and also by Stanley Johnson on Celebrity Antiques Road Trip.

“Anyone thinking of a Mk2 should consider how easy this car is to drive,” says Phil. “It’s about as easy a Mk2 to live with as you can find. It’s much nicer to drive than our manual 3.8 Mk2 (the Gold car) and as quick, even in auto form.

Given all of the above, we think that this superb Mk2 will sell for somewhere between £19,000 and £29,000. When you think of the outlay on the car, its high-specification, condition and outright performance, we think that makes it a bit of a bargain.

Go on, it’s time to show the Northeast’s brides what they’ve been missing.

Inspection is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located here at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, 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’.