Jaguar MkI 3.4 Manual Overdrive Saloon

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Launched in 1955, the MkI saloon was a great step forward for Jaguar as it was the first car they had ever made using the unitary method of construction.

The monocoque body – in which the basic shell doubled as the chassis – had the twin advantages of saving weight and being far more rigid than the old body-on-frame construction. Stress engineering was still in its infancy in the 1950s so the MkI shell was actually over-engineered by modern standards and the thick door surrounds and windscreen pillars made the body even stiffer than Jaguar had hoped for.

The result was an inherently fine handling car to which relatively soft suspension could be added which paid dividends in ride quality and roadholding. Being a Jaguar, it also looked superb with an air of coiled energy that put it into a different league from rival executive saloons such as the stately Humber, bulbous Standard Vanguard and matronly Rover P4.

Initially only available as a 2.4-litre, it was soon obvious that the car was crying out for more power so the magnificent 3.4-litre XK engine was also installed from 1957 onwards. With 210bhp on tap, this could propel the car to 60mph in just nine seconds on its way to a top speed of over 120mph. Four-wheel disc brakes were also added at the same time which gave much improved stopping power compared to the old drum brakes set up. An overdrive gearbox also proved a popular option.

The independent front suspension featured double wishbones, coil springs, and an anti-roll bar. The live rear axle was positively located by quarter-elliptic leaf springs, trailing arms and a Panhard rod in a manner reminiscent of the D-Type, being a significant improvement over the other saloons and XK sports cars.

The luxurious interior was of similar design to Jaguar’s big saloons, with most of the dials and switches being located on the central dashboard between the driver and passenger. This arrangement reduced the differences between LHD and RHD production but it also makes for a wonderfully retro cabin ambience today.

A natural track car, the MkI came to dominate saloon car racing of the era, racking up numerous wins in the hands of legendary drivers such as Tommy Sopwith, Roy Salvadori and Stirling Moss. The MkI also gained an enduring notoriety when, on 22nd January 1959, former motor racing world champion Mike Hawthorn was killed in an accident involving his own highly-tuned 3.4-litre (VDU 881) on the Guildford bypass in Surrey.

As the accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms, XUF 659 was manufactured in August 1959 and is among the last 46 MkI Jaguars made in RHD before it was replaced by the MkII during that same month. British Racing Green with a Suede Green interior and disc brakes, it was supplied by Jaguar dealer Moore of Brighton to first owner Dr Hal Koefman of 60 Wimpole Street, London W1 on 9th September 1959, the original buff log book showing that he kept it until 1965 (the good Dr K must have been a real MkI fan as he could just as easily have ordered a MkII).

Then as now, Wimpole Street was a very prestigious address and Paul McCartney lived a couple of doors away from Koefman at the time, sharing Number 57 with his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher, he and John Lennon writing 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' and 'Yesterday' in the basement of the house. With so much media attention focusing on The Beatles, there are no doubt photos and footage out there somewhere showing this very Jaguar in the background!

It then had four more owners until 1977 at which point it seems to have gone into storage where it was to remain until 2002 (an old MOT from 1977 records the mileage as 60,045 at this point, the same figure as when the car was returned to the road in 2003). It was rediscovered in Streatham by a Mr Hewitt of Whyteleaf, Surrey, in 2002 and handed over to Autocats of Rayleigh for a sympathetic restoration.

Over £32,000 was spent on the car in the next couple of years including localised body repairs and a full engine rebuild with new pistons etc., many bills, letters and photographs in the history file documenting the process in great detail. Great care was taken to ensure as much originality as possible, the vendor confirming that the rear seat wells are still the original PSF pressings (Pressed Steel Fisher) and that the leather seat coverings are also original as are the 'Ace' number plates.

The car was then lightly used until 2009 when it seems that it was acquired by renowned Jaguar restorers, JD Classics of Chelmsford, Essex. It then underwent a further bout of ‘refreshment’ which included a full respray; engine bay detailing; suspension overhaul; cooling system overhaul; brake system overhaul; new wiring loom; new carpets and interior renovation; new colour-coded wire wheels and tyres plus a new stereo system and iPod connection. These jobs are itemised in a document from JD Classics and while no invoice is attached, the vendor was told by JD Classics that some £28,000 had been spent on the car during this ‘refreshment’, bringing the total refurbishment costs to some £60,000 since the car was rescued from storage in 2002.

Still with only 65,531 miles on the clock, the car remains in outstanding condition today and must surely be one of the finest surviving examples. It comes with the aforementioned buff and green log books and Heritage Certificate, a large history file extending back to the 1970s, an original owner’s handbook and lubrication chart, modern V5C and two sets of keys. Only reluctantly for sale due to a change in circumstances, it is said to drive as well as it looks.

So much more classy and bespoke than the somewhat flashy MkII, the MkI is also incomparably the rarer car – just 17,405 of the 3.4-litre cars were made before production ended in 1959 and it is thought that no more than 200 RHD examples survive today, only a handful of which are roadworthy. A good few have been converted into formidable racing machines. Anyone who has been to the Goodwood Revival will tell you what a fantastic spectacle they make on the track – and how mean and moody they look in the paddock! A small industry has also sprung up converting them into fabulous Mike Hawthorn replicas.

Long undervalued, the 3.4-litre is finally being accorded the respect it deserves and good ones are increasingly sought after – though rarely available as owners tend to hang on to them. This superb, matching numbers, end-of-production example is about as good as they get and surely represents a shrewd investment at the sensible guide price suggested.