This is an interesting one: an absolutely concours 1963 Jaguar Mark II sedan, judged at more than 99 points by the “Jaguar Club.” (This presumably means JCNA, the Jaguar Clubs of North America.) The car is being auctioned at HiBid Florida, with four days left and a top bid of $ 9,100. The car is in opalescent gunmetal gray and features its original beige leather. The engine is the mid-sized 3.4-liter unit (with 210 horsepower), and it’s paired with a five-speed transmission (not original) and air conditioning. Steve Gordon of Vantage Auto Service in Oakland, California, fully restored it. Beyond that, we are told that there are keys and, yes, it starts.
The car looks glorious in photos, and the original upholstery appears to be in place, with a nice patina. This Mark II has all the right stuff, including shining wire wheels and polished wood. If it has flaws beyond the history told by seat wear, I don’t see them.
So what is the value of this car? How high is it going to go? Maybe it’s not the perfect venue to maximize return, but I guess Jaguar fanatics will find it through the grapevine. But cars like this have been declining in value. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a 1960 Mark II—almost as nice as this one—fetch just $17,000 at the Broad Arrow auction at the Audrain Concours this year. Classic.com lists the 1963 Mark II at $53,999, but the top placers are thoroughly reworked restomods. The lowest sale recorded on Classic.com was $16,000—I’m not sure of that one’s condition.
The Jaguar Mark II is a revered classic “sports saloon,” produced from 1959 until the line finally petered out as the 2.4-liter 240 in 1969. The 3.4-liter engine carried over from the Mark I was soon supplanted by the 3.8 with 220 horsepower. The 4.2-liter unit seen in the E-Type never made it into the Mark II.
The Mark II’s advertising slogan was “grace, space, pace,” and it had all three. These cars were an incredible bargain (as was the E-Type). The Mark II sold for £1,600 ($4,480 in dollars) in 1963, when a Lincoln Continental was $6,270 to $6,916.
Sir William Lyons’ Mark II responds well to updating. The original Moss four-speed with overdrive has a bad reputation, and the famous twin-cam engine can easily make more power. This auction would have been better served with a much more expansive description detailing all the upgrades. Did the restorer painstakingly revive an original air-conditioning unit? Let’s hope not.
If I was in the market for a Mark II I’d watch this auction closely.
When it comes to these Jags, everyone is different. This car modified is right up my alley. I love this model, but it must be a manual. This one is upgraded. If the engine is sorted correctly and it runs well, it will be a reliable driver which is more important to me than originality. This one looks sharp and the work done on it is very professional. I think it’s a bargain if it sells under 20K. You can’t build it for that with these upgrades.
I don’t see how it can be a 99 point car when there are several non-authentic parts related to the a/c. That alone should knock the score down. Plus the battery isn’t in the engine compartment.
I could see a 9.9 score in driven class where the engine compartment isn’t judged.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice car and should score well in driven class but not a 99 pts in champion/concourse class.