The Jaguar Mk II was a solidly successful car for Jaguar in every way. Over 85,000 were sold between 1959 and 1967. The cars were exported around the world, particularly to North America, swelling Britain’s trade coffers. In saloon racing, the car won reliably, including a championship in 1963 with driver Graham Hill. Today, collectors have bid up prices in recognition of this sedan’s heady mixture of luxury and performance. Here on craigslist, is a 1961 Jaguar Mk II with an asking price of $4,700. The car is located in Forked River, New Jersey. T.J. passed along this tip – thanks! This is a project car with benefits: the seller includes plenty of parts and has performed some work as well. But it’s also been in long-term storage which inevitably affects driveability. And it has rust that’s worse than superficial in some areas. Let’s take a tour and test the asking price.
The motor is the top-of-the-line 3.8-liter XK dual overhead cam six-cylinder making about 220 bhp. Equipped with twin SU carburetors, these cars could sprint from zero to sixty in about 8.5 seconds; top speed was a respectable 120 mph. Of course, this venerable engine is capable of more if an owner wants to hunt up performance parts. This car’s seller has rebuilt its carburetors (maybe after this photo was taken?) and given it a complete tune-up so the motor now runs. No word on drivability, however, and the photos show it on a trailer. The car has an automatic transmission but the seller makes available a four-speed with overdrive. It’s not clear if that comes with the sale or not. The odometer is quoted at 69,000 miles.
The seats are magnificent, but the wood dash needs refinishing (the missing piece is in the parts pile) and I think I spy rust down in the driver’s footwell. The glass and seals are said to be good, as well as the trim. The grille certainly acquits itself well. But the door panels need replacing.
Plenty of parts come with the car. This photo shows only a selection. I’m hoping the bonnet is lying about somewhere and will be set in its rightful place when a buyer arrives. The jack and full tool kit are included, a big bonus since replacing these would cost a few thousand dollars. In fact, most Jaguar parts are sinfully expensive. The parts cache is valuable but offsetting that is the expense of bodywork and paint. Rustproofing was not yet a religion in the 1960s, so Jags (like many other makes) will tend to rot from the inside out. Meanwhile, pricing is all over the lot. Nice drivers sell for between $25,000 and about $32,000. Show cars will set you back multiples of that. Without an inspection, it’s tough to gauge how much work is here, but I’m going to gamble and say the price is reasonable, even for the parts.
A nice occasion but i prefer the refined 3.8S Asking price is fair.
The S is very nice but I like the sportier version here….
Michelle, the text is conflicting regarding the parts shown in the pic.
Your text says “the parts are included”, the CL listing states, “picture with all n o s parts sold separately as a package”.
The ad has been changed. It also no longer mentions the tool kit.
@Jim in FL, yes, the ad does list the parts batch as additional $$, but it seems the price here is pretty reasonable, considering this one already runs. Seems most of these projects are found after years of storage and you have to take the effort and risks to get them to come alive. I am currently working on a 63 Mark 2 in white with red interior and have to say the sound of these motors revving up are spirited and inspiring. I have always loved these early Jags. One thing I really appreciate about them is that you can do most of the work yourself, as they are made to be worked on in the old “tools in hand” way. This gray and red color shown on this one would be really stunning when finished. However, there is still a lot to be done here… no quick fix!
Shifter, I’m not disputing the price. Although ‘reasonable’ is a VERY subjective term, a wide disparity of difference between buyer’s reasonable and seller’s reasonable. (Ask me how I know!)
I cannot speak to these older models, as my love of Jaguars was limited to the XJ-S models of which I know quite a bit. Salut!
hi ya all i’am the owner , i reduced the price yesterday from the $4700 .00 to the $3850.00, i have the pile of n o s bits ,and complete tool kit for this mk2, the spats not mentioned are in excellent shape as if never used , i’am an X K E specialist 53 years mostly series one but dabble in xk 120/140/150 , still do not know it all .like some claim ha ha, thank you for the listing some TEXT in this description are wrong . there is nothing hidden can”t tell much from pictures , call 609-489-2149 and ask , since i reduced it many reply’s, like always 99.7 % tire kickers (is it still available HA HA ,), all the extra bits will be sold at a killer price with the purchase i want to sell it not keep it and continue playing with my e types. thanks to ya all ROBBIE
Robbie,
Good luck and thanks for the background. These are sleepers and I am on the West Coast, and this is the best project I have seen of a Mark II I have seen in a long time.
thank you mark ,the pic , with out bonnet was taken before i started the little work i did do ,not as oxidized
hi ya all i’am the owner , i reduced the price yesterday from the $4700 .00 to the $3850.00, i have the pile of n o s bits ,and complete tool kit for this mk2, the spats not mentioned are in excellent shape as if never used , i’am an X K E specialist 53 years mostly series one but dabble in xk 120/140/150 , still do not know it all .like some claim ha ha, thank you for the listing some TEXT in this description are wrong . there is nothing hidden can”t tell much from pictures , call 609-489-2149 and ask ,THANK YOU
the tool kit and extra bits will sell at a killer price with purchase of mk2 thank you
look on market place , does have perfect bonnet, if not it is on now
interior is vinyl? The 4 speed a direct bolt in w/pedal set up, slave, etc.? Frame rust?
hi doc. vinyl ? i’am trying to find that out too, u know a way?
DOC. TO ANSWER YOUR Q’S if it is vinyl ‘i’ll find out soon , the od is gear box and od unit , no frame rot , one section under radiator can be repaire or purchase new piece i priced it at $365.00 probably get it cheaper , since it has to come out it would be better to fix it .Robbie thanks
Robbie,
An easy way to see if it’s leather or vinyl is to pop out the back seat or the front seat bottom. Turn it over and look at the edges of the material. Vinyl will have a fabric weave on the underside, leather will have a rough finish like the underside of leather furniture. If you wet the underside, vinyl will not change, leather will absorb the water and turn darker.
BILL ,thank you ,it might be vinyl , and ill know tomorrow ,it’s still cheap enough and the rest of what i have some not in post,will go for peanuts, and the guy who wrote was right ,he stated a few grand he is correct did all my home work ,i sure thank you a lot , any body have a v 12 roadster project you know of
Robbie,
It could be vinyl from the factory, as Jaguar in the early 60s offered high quality vinyl interior as an extra cost option for cars headed to North America. Seems Jaguar thought Americans might want vinyl! If it IS original vinyl, it should be fairly stiff from age. If it’s quite flexible, it’s probably been replaced.
i think i had mentioned the bonnet is near perfect the leaping cat has no pits
As a Jag owner, these cars can quickly turn into a money pit. Most likely, a potential buyer would be better off financially by starting with a better example.
The carrot of a low purchase price has lured many an unwary buyer. But good luck with this. It seems doable.
The price and description on this one is very specific, and I appreciate that fact. When you compare this one to the condition of the $19K price of the Dodge Charger, this one looks to be a better deal