Jaguar MK II
It took John Holcroft five years to restore his Jaguar Mark II. There was a lot of pain along the way, with the engine having to be removed no less than four times, as one problem after another reared its ugly head. But like so many, John was smitten, so he persevered with chasing perfection. And the end result, it has to be said, is quite perfect.
The interior is as regal as they come. You could be taking tea with the Queen in here. Not an inch of the cabin space is untrimmed, with leather and veneered wood wherever you look. But the intimacy of the cabin’s proportions signals clearly that it’s a sports saloon rather than a gargantuan, palatial limo.
Smiths and Lucas instruments peer back at the driver, small wing mirrors sit just above the period quarterlight windows and you can operate the main beam for the headlamps using a foot-operated button on the floor. A column-shift for the automatic gearbox sits just behind the thin-rimmed steering wheel. It is every inch a special environment, a car that’s confident of its identity, a car with all the sense of occasion you’ll get from the Ferrari 328 GTS.
John bought his car in 2000. “I’m a motor mechanic, and I served my time on these. I’m a BMC and Rolls-Royce apprentice. The car came via a customer and had been sitting for 20 years in a disused building, rotting away.” Bar the paint and veneer, John did the lot himself during the five-year restoration.
The Jaguar Mark II was arguably the car that its predecessor should have been. Although really only a comprehensive facelift of the Mark I (initially called the Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre) it sported a larger glasshouse, new grille and modern interior design, yet somehow unlocked the potential in the design and turned it from a modest success into a sensation.
Actually, it was what was going on beneath the skin that really transformed the car, and not just because the 3.8-litre engine developed for the D-Type racer had become an option, albeit in somewhat less ferocious form. More importantly, the car was a very early adopter of four-wheel disc brakes and, crucially, came with a higher rear roll centre and widened rear track that transformed the somewhat skittish handling of the Mark I for the better. No wonder, then, that it became one of the most fearsome and feared machines on the saloon car racing scene of the era.
As a car in which to feel good about life as you waft around, there is something to be said for the 2.4-litre cars. After all, they still have that look and Jaguar’s classic twin-cam straight-six, but it is revealing that even in period, this substantially cheaper model was the slowest-selling. By the time it came out in 1959, Jaguar has already won Le Mans five times that decade and had its world-beating XK sports car series, so customers found the sporting versions more appealing.
So the temptation is to go for the best: an early 3.8-litre car with a manual, overdrive gearbox – and there is no question that all other things being equal, they are the ones to have. But actually, the 3.4-litre comes closer than their respective reputations would ever suggest, and unless you’re planning on driving your Mark II harder than most people would choose to drive a 60-year-old car these days, a 3.4-litre may well provide no less real-world enjoyment, and do so for a considerably lesser outlay.
In both cases, these are fine things to drive. Even today, they feel strong and effortless, with excellent brakes and nicely controlled and balanced handling. The Mark II is a car that has built up a stellar reputation for an old saloon. How nice it is to see that, for once, it turns out to be thoroughly deserved.
1967 Jaguar Mark II
- Engine: Straight 6-cylinder, 3442cc
- Transmission: 3-speed automatic, RWD
- Power: 210bhp @5500rpm
- Weight: 1499kg
THE HAGERTY VALUATION TEAM SAYS
- Hagerty value condition #2: £27,700
- 2019 Hagerty value condition #2: £21,700
- Hagerty 12-month value change: +£6000 (27.6%)
Like the Mini, the Jaguar Mark II is an iconic classic: it has been collected and cherished since the day it was first sold. In recent years, values have been relatively steady and have not fluctuated as wildly as its prettier sibling, the E-Type. However, values have already risen by nearly a third this year, yet Hagerty feels that the Mark II still has potential for growth. With the E-Type’s 60th birthday in 2021 that will attract attention to the marque. If you want a good Mark II, now may be the time to buy.
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