Jaguar MkII 3.4 MOD

One of the most beautiful and best-loved saloons of all time, the MkII Jaguar was launched to huge acclaim in 1959. Muscular, lithe and graceful, it had the big cat looks that all the best Jaguars are famed for.

The top-of-the-range 3.8-litre model had stunning performance from its 220bhp straight-six engine and could embarrass most sportscars of the day, leaving them trailing in its 125mph wake. Keeping everything under control were servo-assisted disc brakes all round, coil-and-wishbone independent front suspension and a leaf-sprung Salisbury rear axle with optional limited slip diff. Inside was beautifully trimmed in walnut and leather in the finest Jaguar tradition.

In the middle of the range was the 3.4-litre which featured the superb twin-cam 3,442cc XK engine, as used in the previous 3.4 Saloon, now retrospectively referred to as the MkI. The 3.4-litre was a particularly sweet running engine with excellent performance that was nearly a match for the 3.8 (210bhp and 120mph top speed).

A huge success both on road and track, the MKII was quick to dominate contemporary saloon car racing in the hands of drivers like Stirling Moss and Roy Salvadori. Production of the MkII 3.4 ended in 1967, although a cheaper version, the 340, continued to sell until 1969.

Although it might look a bit sorry for itself, this particular 3.4 manual overdrive actually has the makings of a very good car. As the original green log book confirms, it was first registered in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, in May 1964 and has had just five owners to date. Various old MOTs going back to 1972 show that the 62,000 miles on the clock is almost certainly genuine.

About a dozen years ago a previous owner sent the car off to be restored and the work was some way towards completion when the garage doing the work went bust. The car was then left outside for several months until the current vendor acquired it in 2003. The bodywork had already been restored and repainted in its original Gunmetal Grey and the car was still in drivable condition.

The vendor intended to finish the work himself and in a burst of initial enthusiasm he rebuilt all the brakes, had the gearbox reconditioned, fitted a new double core radiator, sourced a new set of carpets and stripped out the interior. Unfortunately other commitments then got in the way and 10 years down the line he has not really got any further with the project and an impending house move means that the Jag has to go.

The car is said to be complete and many of the bits required to finish it have already been restored but just need re-fitting. It is not known if the engine has been rebuilt but it was certainly running well 10 years ago. The red leather interior is said to be in nice original condition although the covers have been removed from the seat frames. The bodywork and chassis remain in very good condition and should need very little work at all.

Altogether a most worthwhile project that just needs a lot of meticulous reassembly and the odd bit of refurbishing here and there. If you like doing jigsaws it will keep you amused for many happy hours and the results will be a lot more valuable and a huge amount of fun!