- Seller: TURKS S (Contact)
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Mileage: 66,688 Shown
- Chassis #: 792643BW
- Title Status: Clean
- Engine: 3.8-Liter Inline-6
- Transmission: Automatic
While 1961 was more momentous in Jaguar history for being the year that the E-Type was introduced to a stunned global audience, it was also the final year for the body-on-frame Mark IX. Only 10,009 of these handsome sedans were built over their three-year production run, and of those, 4,647 were destined for export; therefore, this is a rare sedan. The seller of this ’61 is presenting it as a California barn find that is a good car to restore or use for parts. Aside from what you see, the car will also come with a spare engine (a 4.2-liter six), as the 3.8 in the car is not running (its cylinder head is in the trunk). If you are a Jaguar collector who could use the parts or an Anglophile who wants something a little different from the normal fare at your favorite British car show, maybe this Mark IX is for you. It’s being offered as a Barn Finds Exclusive located in San Francisco with an asking price of $3,000.
The best thing about Jaguars of the 1950s and 1960s is that there was no such thing as a cheap one; they all had real wood dashboards and steering wheels and leather interiors. Their engines all looked as if they would make a good coffee table if you simply affixed a piece of glass to the cam cover. Everything on a Jaguar was meant to be beautiful. As it does with all “barn finds,” time has had its way with this one, and only a good cleaning will unveil what’s good and what’s bad. What we can see from this view is the gear selector; Mark IXs often had a Borg-Warner DG three-speed automatic (some sources say it was standard). In the Mark IX, the transmission started out in first gear (the Borg-Warner started in second in earlier models), and it routed the 3.8’s 220 horsepower back to a standard 4.27:1 axle ratio.
The sunroof was a standard feature (it was sometimes called a “sunshine roof” in England, apparently). The parts for that amenity alone must be impossible to find. Jaguars were known for their multiple LeMans victories in the 1950s, and the four-wheel disc brakes on those race cars made their way to the production sedans as well; the Mark IX has Dunlop discs with “servo assistance.” It also has power steering with three turns lock-to-lock and torsion bar front suspension. All in all, it’s a pretty capable sedan for 1961.
Still, it was no race car, with zero-to-sixty acceleration of about 11 seconds, which was acceleration in the relaxed-but-ample category. Whether this Mark IX will see sixty miles an hour again or offer its parts so other Mark IXs can is up to you. If you could use this pretty, stately sedan, make an offer!
Looks fousty rather than rusty and needs a bit of panel-beating; looks fairly intact otherwise. Nice old bus; not fast fast but you can definitely make good progress – in comfort, too!
Not so good presentation what with a scooter and a pile of chairs blocking the only good picture of the car. Good write up Aaron.
The barn must’ve taken a hit too!
Sorry but Jaguars were very cheaply built, they only had a facade of quality and elegance because ol’ Bill Lyons was a genius at marketing and new what would sell. People who don’t know better compare them to Bentley or Rolls-Royce because they are superficially similar but the stories of mechanical breakdowns, malfunctions and other motoring maladies are legion among Jag owners. I, meanwhile, continue to tour cross country in my 72 year old Bentley without a care!
Agree. Jaguar gave impressive value and good examples hold up well. But this is not one and restoration is not really an option when a good example could be had for $30000.
May have value as parts for the right person.
A lovely old gal from an era when Jaguar was a more affordable rival to Bentley with their lovely sedans.Love to see this brought back to life and,BTW, they race these still..lots of them roar, not so sedately, around the Goodwood circuit..this might be a perfect candidate,,
Chauffeur not included.
Grace, Pace and Space! VERY rare in the UKI!
I bought the same car in 1968 after I got out of the Navy, the ladies loved it. The servo assisted brakes were its nemesis. It seemed like every month it was in my brother’s shop for the brakes. I traded it in on a brand new1970 GTO with a 455/ 4 speed. The tires were it’s weal point or was it my foot.
Jaguars were known in the day as “Wardour Street Bentleys”. If you talked about something(or someone) being “a bit Wardour Street” it meant “phoney and flashy”!