1967-Jaguar-Mark 2 3.8

Description

1967 Jaguar Mark 2 3.8
s/n P224676BW, engine no LE3726-8
Old English White with Black Leather Interior

Jaguar’s Mark 2 can be considered one of the earliest sport sedans. Its handsome styling and sparkling performance, particularly when properly equipped, demonstrated that smaller did not necessarily mean inferior. The Mark 1 was introduced in 1956 as a small sedan to expand Jaguar’s model line and met with reasonable but not outstanding success. The styling was reworked and the mechanical specification improved for 1959 and the new variant, called the Mark 2, which was not only more attractive and modern in appearance, but also proved to be extremely popular. The car was available in 2.4, 3.4, and 3.8 liter forms, with the 3.8 liter variant, essentially Jaguar’s largest engine in their smallest sedan, being a genuinely high performance car with excellent roadholding, braking, and straight line performance. The technical specification was impressive, including Jaguar’s lovely twin cam inline-6 and disc brakes all round. Indeed, the cars proved to be quite successful in saloon car racing, and for these reasons, Mark 2s are considerably more valuable and collectible than their bigger siblings of the same period, the Mark IX, Mark X, and 420G, despite the fact that all of those larger cars were considerably more costly when new.This particular car is a matching numbers example which its current owner acquired it out of an estate sale in Lafayette, CA in 2011 and set about restoring. The car was converted to a 5-speed manual transmission and fitted with rack and pinion steering. The car was cosmetically restored including new paint, new chrome, new rubber, new upholstery, new carpets, and refinished wood. The engine was not rebuilt because it displayed excellent oil pressure and was not consuming oil. The engine ancillaries were refreshed including the fitment of Pertronix electronic ignition, new fuel lines, coated exhaust manifolds, new water pump and hoses, aluminum radiator, and electric cooling fan. The suspension was freshened with new bushings and new upper and lower ball joints. New tires were installed and an alignment performed as well. Cosmetically, the car was repainted, the chrome redone, and the weather stripping replaced. Coombs competition style rear spats were also fitted. The interior was restored as well, with reupolstered front seats, door panels, arm rests, console, and kick panels. The wood was refinished and new wool carpets were fitted as well. A modern stereo was also installed.Cosmetically, the car presents very well and is best characterized as a high level driver. The car has a good straight body with good gaps, and the car wears a very good paint job which has slight orange peel but no significant wear or issues to speak of. The chrome is very good with light surface scratches only, while the badges and trim are excellent as are the glass and lights. The car is equipped with Lucas Fogranger fog lamps.The interior is in excellent overall condition with nice leather and carpets, both of which display great craftsmanship with correct patterns and materials. The door panels are equally nice and the wood is in good condition, with an appearance consistent with how the cars were originally delivered rather than the highly glossy finish often employed in restorations. There is no major cracking or warping to the finish or the wood itself and the workmanship of the wood restoration was done to high standards. The shift quadrant has custom markings indicating that the car is a 5-speed and showing the shift pattern, a very neat touch that looks stock. The correct wool headliner is in place and is in fine shape and all four dome lights work. The car has a nice Lecarra wood-rimmed steering wheel and the instruments and switches are excellent throughout. All instruments appear to function properly and the car is fitted with a modern high end stereo with USB input.The engine compartment is clean and tidy, with nicely polished valve covers, intake plenum, and carburetor tops. The air cleaner housing has been chrome-plated. The car has been fitted with an aluminum radiator and the original is included with the car. The exhaust manifolds have been jet hot coated as well. The trunk is tidy and restored in appearance, and the car has a spare wire wheel and its factory jack. The undercarriage is solid and the car has a recent stainless steel exhaust. The car runs and drives great. The engine starts easily and is well-tuned. It sounds great and is tractable and universally well-behaved, producing great noise. The transmission is a pleasure to use with excellent synchromesh and a pleasingly mechanical but not inappropriately modern feel as 5-speed conversions sometimes have. The brakes are effective and the steering is quite light but precise. The chassis and suspension are solid and control the car well, and the entire driving experience is quite harmonious and reassuring, encouraging the driver to drive the car in a spirited manner, reminding why the Mark II is often considered to be the original sport sedan.This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a wonderful high quality driver Mark 2. A matching numbers example fitted with the largest engine, this car is an absolute pleasure to drive and makes a strong cosmetic impression while incorporating several thoughtful upgrades to make the car a pleasure to drive. The car has an original owner’s manual and has been fitted with year of manufacture black and yellow license plates. The car comes with a thick file of service records for work carried out during the restoration.