Thought to be one of only eight Mk2s to have left Browns Lane with a factory-fitted sunroof, it was registered 9566 RW - a Coventry-issued numberplate that it still wears today.
During the late 1980s, the Jaguar was fully restored - a two-year process that included a bare-metal respray from grey to dark blue, an interior retrim, and a rebuild of both the 3.8-litre engine and the four-speed manual-overdrive gearbox. A few years later, in the autumn of 1994, XJ6-type power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering was installed, as well as a fuel cut-off switch.
Owned by its current custodian since June 1998, the Mk2 was treated to another round of work between 2019 and 2022, the cost of which totalled approximately £35,000. The car was resprayed from dark blue to its current shade of red, the interior was fully retrimmed, and new seats - complete with headrests - were fitted. A retro-style digital radio was also installed.
The cooling system was upgraded via an expansion tank and an aluminium radiator with thermostatically controlled fan, while louvres were cut into the bonnet. A new aluminium heater matrix was fitted, the front seatbelts were renewed, and electronic ignition was added. The metal sliding roof was replaced with an electrically operated set-up, and the car has not been driven on wet roads since 2022.
In 2023, renowned Jaguar specialist Guy Broad carried out further work that included tuning the 3.8-litre straight-six, upgrading the front and rear brakes, fitting a new servo, and replacing the dampers all round. Replacement wheels with new spinners were then fitted the following year, and the car still features original Coombs-style rear spats.
Now being offered for sale in exceptional condition, this Jaguar Mk2 comes with a comprehensive history file that includes photographic records of its restoration work. The 3.8 with manual-overdrive gearbox is already the most coveted variant of this 1960s sports saloon, and its well-chosen upgrades make this car even more special.
MODEL HISTORY
When The Autocar tested the latest Jaguar saloon in February 1960, it said in its opening paragraph that: 'Very few cars indeed set out to offer so much as the 3.8-litre Mk2 Jaguar, and none can match it in terms of value for money. In one compact car, an owner has Gran Turismo performance, town carriage manners and luxurious family appointments.'
The Mk2 was launched in late 1959 as a development of the 2.4 and 3.4 saloons, which retrospectively, and unofficially, became known as the Mk1. Although externally similar to its predecessor, the Mk2 gained a larger glass area all round, a wider rear track to improve handling, and a new interior layout.
As well as the 2.4 and 3.4, there was also now the option of a 3.8-litre model, which produced 220bhp - enough to propel this well-appointed four-seater to 125mph. Jaguar had pioneered the use of disc brakes in motor racing, so it was no surprise that the Mk2 featured them all round, complete with servo assistance.
The independent front suspension featured wishbones, coil springs and telescopic dampers, while at the rear there was a live axle with semi-elliptic springs and radius arms. All of this cost £1842 including purchase tax, roughly the same as the considerably slower Rover P5. In fact, up to 90mph, a Mk2 3.8 offered comparable performance to an Aston Martin DB4, which was more than twice the price.
Production continued until 1967, when the 3.8-litre model was dropped and the smaller-engined Mk2s morphed into the short-lived 240 and 340. More than 80,000 left the factory in total, and they were commonly seen on the big screen being driven by police and criminals alike, making the Mk2 one of the most recognisable British cars of the 1960s.
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