Parked since the clutch went out in 1992, this 1962 Jaguar Mark 2, for sale here on Craigslist near Portland, Oregon, looks to be very complete and in relatively good shape for its age. If you’re in the market for a 56-year-old (264 in cat years) British car to restore, this might be a great starting point for you. Without too much effort, this car could be started and the engine purring again in no time. Thanks to Fred H for the submission!
While I don’t remember regularly seeing cars of this vintage on the road, I’m old enough to remember when Jaguars had a more sculpted shape, before they became more squared-off in the mid-1980’s. I always thought those older, more stylized cars were attractive and cat-like in appearance, and this 1962 Jaguar very much embodies that look. Maybe it’s just because I know it’s called a Jaguar, but I’ve always thought there was something feline-like about the appearance of older Jaguars. Not only is this car a looker, but it’s a performer, too. When new, this model, equipped with the 3.8 liter engine, would have been good for 8.5 second sprints to 60 mph and a 125 mph top speed – numbers that you wouldn’t turn your tail up to in 1962.
The seller says the car has been stored in a garage for the last 26 years, and that it was last started 18 years ago. The seller also says that the car has minimal rust, excellent body panel fitment and excellent wood trim. All the provided photos support his description of the car’s condition, although underhood and undercarriage shots are not provided. The British racing green exterior and red interior combination looks good to my eyes, although both the paint and the leather could use some refreshing.
The seller says this car is an excellent candidate for fixing up or restoring, and all the photos support that claim. At the $10,000 asking price, this car isn’t super-cheap, but assuming it is as described, it could be a presentable driver with just some cleaning up and mechanical attention. For not much more investment than the purchase price, this car could be prowling the streets again.
The price doesn’t seem to out of line when you consider lower milage and great condition. What baffles me is why you’d leave a car sit for 26 years that only needs a clutch. It can’t be that expensive. Well the owner has done a great job of not using and enjoying this jag while he walked around it all these years saving it for someone else to enjoy. You’d think that after ten year of walking around it the owner would have said to himself I’m going to fix that car or get rid of it.
What he said!
Yeah really!
But as we have seen repeatedly owners do some inexplicable things when it comes to their “broke” cars. At least it was in a garage with a cement floor.
I knew someone who drove one of these to work everyday from 1990 to a couple of years a go……and SHE seemed to have very little trouble on a daily basis. Just lucky I guess.
Wish I was as car carefree and daredevil-like as I once was….cause this, while taking a pile of money, looks to be a great place to start from. ( Never end a sentence in a preposition!)
Many people are just plain afraid of foreign cars! Will it be expensive to fix? Etc.
Couple of observations: The Mark II was the preferred getaway car for robbers in the UK based on its speed and handling. I question mileage based on interior wear next to gas petal. If I’m not mistaken, to repair the clutch requires at least partial pulling of the engine, so story has some credibility. Interiors are expensive: Connolly leather and Wilton wool carpets, both needed here. Lastly, without engine and chassis pics, caveat emptor!
I was 17 years old in 1969, in the Army and assigned to a base in Germany. One soldier had a 1962 Mark2. He had been having problems with the radio. I bought it for$500.00, fixed the radio and drove for a year on the Auobahn. It was white with the red interior. If I had the money I would have sent it back home. I sold it to another GI for $800.00.
Back in 1970, I bought a 1958 Jaguar XK-150 drophead, white with red leather in gorgeous condition that……… “needed a clutch”. I paid $300 bucks, towed it home, and all it needed was a slave cylinder. I drove it as my only car for about three years and sold it to a friend for the same $300 bucks. My “friend” turned around and sold it for $600 a few days later. Sure do wish I had it today.
Our family car for several years was one of these. Rode in the back as a kid with my sister on vacations to lakes in Michigan. Smooth ride, soft seats and plenty of power for the hills of PA and WV. The back of the front seats have a fold-down ‘table top’ for use by the back seat occupants. Great for drive-ins. The only trouble with the cars was the original rubber spark plug and coil wires that dry-rotted after a few years. Then short-outs would occur anywhere. Hopefully this one has synthetic replacements. These are very hands-on vehicles. I can remember helping out with the tools when tune-ups were in order. This one needs the spoked wheels, though.
To the best of my knowledge, these cars did not come from the factory in BRG with red leather and in one of the CL ad pictures, the door jam appears to be black. Black car with red leather interior was a popular combination and probably much more likely.
image 14, lower corner of the door-frame next to the sill. You can kinda make out both the BRG and black in that area. That said, BRG was an available color. Red was an available leather color. A special order would not be out of the question as my 69 2+2 is Old English White over Biscuit which was not an offered combination that year. A Heritage Certificate would eliminate any question
Now that I am retired I wish I could afford an XK-150. Living in So Cal would be even more fun, except when the outside temp hits 116° until 8PM.
I know of a ’64 Mk2. (3.4 I think) lurking in a barn, “somwhere near Toronto” guarded by a wild nest of bees; Only because I’m a beekeeper I know of it……
One owner since the early 1970s & RHD; manual I’ve observed !
Happen to have an extra ’67 Jaguar MKII in my barn if anyone has the desire for one. This one is a right hand drive, four speed with electric overdrive, plus the unique factory load leveling system controlled from the dash. Wire wheels and an extra set in the trunk too. Needs to be awakened but the motor spins freely and all electrics work too. Interesting past history from England.
I have one on the road already and they really are cool cars to drive. This one is in Cincinnati.
Please consider listing it here on the site Bob!
Hi Bob
Saw this remark to the Craigslist ad and wanted to inquire about your in the barn Mark 2. Is it still available and can you furnish address information if it is? I’m in Pittsburgh.
Thanks,
Paul
The lighting in some of the photos is so perfect it almost brings a tear to my eye. Definitely classy. It deserves a loving and tender restoration or simple refurbishment.
My favorite Jag-You-Are saloon is the 1987 XJ6 VDP. My neighbor had a 2001 S-type for about 10 years and wishes she had it back.
As ultimately desirable as the E-types are, the vintage 4-doors still have an enormous amount of appeal.
Got mine given to me in ’72 by a friend of
my Dad’s who owned a used car lot and
wanted it gone. Mine had severe fire
damage caused by the Lucas electrical
system that shorted out and nearly destroyed the car! Wound up having to
have the whole car rewired. And because
there was extensive fire damage under the hood, my friends and I swapped in a
350 SBC mated to a TH 350 auto tranny.
I did that as no replacement parts could be found in the Midwest for a Mark 2
sedan at that time. The above mentioned
fire destroyed nearly everything from the
dashboard forward. The rest of the car
was in pristine condition and was complete down to the picnic basket in
the trunk! Wound up selling it to a local
doctor for $4K who just had to have it.
Some times I wonder if it is still on the
road.
These are excellent cars; if they are not rusted. Great engine and four wheel disk brakes. I worked in many in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Per the Jaguar factory manuals; clutch replacement calls for removal of the front subframe with engine and suspension. Most were replaced by removing the engine from the top. It has to come out at a steep angle, and is not for the feint of heart.
We once converted a Mark I from auto to stick in one day including all of the clutch hardware. Much nicer aith the stick.
I had a 61 2.4 auto (LHD) MkII 35 years ago. Sweet lil car, just slow. My friends kept pestering me to put the 3.4 and OD 4spd from my rusty Mk1 in it but I just couldn’t break the car as I am an original”ist” when it comes to numbers matching if at all possible. So I sold both to a guy who ended up doing the dirty deed himself.
I’m bent over…go ahead and kick me….
Greetings All,
You would have needed to put in other springs too. Probably the worst part of that swap.
You should have compromised, ditched the auto for a manual with overdrive.
The price seems high to me, but I’m aware of more of them because I own a few Jaguars.
Looking for a 1934,Standard Flathead if anyone know of one for sale.
Dirk is correct; the color scheme is not standard Jaguar. I think the asking price is high since the car was last started 18 years ago. But they are wonderful cars and
a clutch replacement is not the end of the world.
echo: “fiat128”
I had a Mark 2 that I bought in England in the late 70s, and shipped home to Canada. I kept it for over 6 years, and I am happy to report that it was reliable and trouble free. So much for their awful reputation. Mine was a 3.8, manual with overdrive. What a fabulous car for covering a lot of miles. And that engine is a piece of art! Listening to that big six is a memory that I hope lasts for my lifetime. If the car on offer truly is rust free, and the engine turns freely with compression, this could be a very saveable survivor.