Some automobiles are destined to become parts cars for good reasons, and in many cases, it’s often easy to see why right away. At first glance, it’s hard to imagine this 1955 Jaguar Saloon falling into that category. What could possibly make tearing this Jag apart conceivable? We’ll delve into that below, but if you’re ready to take charge of its fate, this one is in Neosho, Missouri, and $2,500 will take it home. Reader BCB42 found this vintage sedan here on Facebook Marketplace, and we’d like to thank them for providing the tip!
The Jaguar Saloon is one of those cars that screams British opulence, with classy exterior lines that look as tasty today as they did in the mid-fifties. The sheet metal seems straight, at least on the right side, and nothing appears to be missing. The panels also fit properly, and the white finish looks fairly decent. However, things take a quick turn for the worse once you get past the body. The seller uses two words to describe the downfall here: “has rust”. Evidently, there’s a lot of it, and the photo from inside the left rear door suggests what’s probably also hiding elsewhere.
The seats don’t look too bad and might clean up well enough to use in another driver-quality Jaguar, or maybe even here if the buyer goes for a restoration. No pictures show the entire dashboard, but the door panels clearly have plenty of wear and tear, and the floor seems to have significant corrosion. Given that the owner doesn’t suggest saving this car, I can only guess the cancer may continue to the undercarriage. Another idea they throw out is to use this Jaguar as an advertising piece, and I can see how putting one’s business information on the sides and parking it in front of their building would draw a lot of attention.
Another thing to consider is the mechanical condition, since it’s confirmed the engine doesn’t run, and there’s no explanation why. I can certainly understand that it would be easier to part this one out, which might help bring another car back to life. However, it’s also possible this one hasn’t quite reached the point of no return, though it’ll obviously take time, skills, and loads of cash to make all the needed repairs. How do you envision moving forward with this 1955 Jaguar Saloon?
Is it Whitworth?
would be but whitworth is standard inch sizes just with different names
Sort of. The dimensions are inch-based, but the threading is different from Imperial/SAE, and the wrench sizes correspond to the diameter of the bolt shaft rather than the width of the hex head.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Standard_Whitworth
Yes. All Whitworth. There are tool kits in both front doors.
That’s a good question.
Whitworth fasteners had begun phasing out in 1948, yet they were still being used into the early 1970s.
I used to own a 1960 Vauxhall Victor and its fasteners were SAE. However, from what I’ve heard, some British vehicles and motorcycles hung onto Whitworth for a few more years to come.
Maybe the possibility of running into Whitworth, SAE and/or metric is what led to the rise of Vise Grips and Channellock pliers. ;)
That’s funny, I was literally just looking at this car before the writeup. I’d love to get this running and driving. It would definitely turn lots of heads. I don’t like the idea of turning it into a parts car, for I see lots of potential.
I had a black one in ’63-64 and blew the engine.
All Jaguars are parts cars.
As I smile as I read your comment (which by the way has one of the most ‘thumbs-up”), I can’t help but think you are ‘quite right!’ in British terms. The best movie title that exemplifies the Jaguar is…. ‘The Agony and the Ecstasy’
BOO!
The engine is worth more than that.
Guy on youtube converted one of these to tesla running gear superfastmatt or at least one of this era
It’s a MK VII model. We had quite a few when we were growing up. My dad loved them and did all of the work on them himself. This one actually doesn’t look that bad from the photos, but a closer look wouldn’t hurt! The ad said it doesn’t run but not if the engine is free or not.
If the problem is confined to the engine and drive train, pull it out and throw it away, or sell it for parts, and drop in a small block V8, with appropriate transmission, drive shaft, universal and differential gears, orrrrrrrrr better yet……waahaa…….find a totalled EV and pull the drive and batteries. Now that would be a REAL head turner.
Surely you jest! I would do everything in my power to save the original drivetrain, and then, if all else fails, do an engine swap – with the same type of engine, if one can be found.
Or at least keep it in the family with a more modern AJ-6 or AJ-16 or, if one must have a V8, AJ-V8.
Pity the body structure here is apparently terminally compromised.
Wouldn’t take too much to total an EV, though;)
The rust in the frame at the door sill pointed out by the seller looks pretty substantial. Have family in that area, 60% humidity is the norm they tell me, hence an abundance of moisture helping the tinworm with its culinary choices.
Luxurious and big, lots of room inside, they moved along surprisingly well for their size.
But this one looks to need a quantum amount of energy, money and time to make it drivable. It’d be great to see this rolling down the road under its own power but that may less feasible than seeing $2.25 a gallon for gas again..
Regardless, GLWTS.
Well, looking at the Facebook pics perhaps the sun IS setting on this car, but what a genteel masterpiece if restored and on the road again!
Potential ?
ahh… Yes…. The potential to send you to the poor house.
Underwater?
“How deep is the ocean”?
To get it running would certainly be nice.
Lets all take a guess on what that would cost.
Clean it up.
Get it running (reasonably drive-able …driveable enough to take out to a “cars and coffee”
Make it “reasonably safe” I’ll leave that to you. How safe were cars from that era anyway?
NOTHING COSMETIC
NO RUST REPAIR (unless structural)
NO IMPROVEMENTS or upgrades)
(of course, new tires would be considered a given)
My guess: At least $25k???
Beautiful Kim Novak of Vertigo comes into my mind…
Ahhh… Kim Novak!!! One extraordinary beautiful woman………
A good one is a beautiful driving car, the mk9 even better w discs etc, but a rusty turd Is the biggest money pit…
I have owned two Mark 9 Jags
Awesome machines!
The drivetrain may make a, nice add to that British kit car we had here the other day. The Sabre! Just sayin’
Hmmm……body on frame construction…wonder what might fit under this?
…just pondering.
I own a Mark IX. This VII is beyond restoration. It is correctly priced as a parts car A very good driver with most everything in decent ( condition 3+) can be readily had for under $30K. Sneeze at this one and you’ll have $30K in it before you are even halfway to that point.
If the chassis is as rusted as it seems to be, and someone really likes the car, an option would be to remove the body, fix the rust on it, and mount it on a more modern chassis with good running gear. It could be made into a unique hot rod. Probably not worth the cost, but could be fun.
Interesting that a 6th Gen Ford Explorer has near identical measurements, but it’s a unibody, and this VII M sounds like there isn’t enough steel to weld it together…plus the Explorer is wider…
It’s a tchotchke. Lawn ornament, or atop a body shop sign.
Great write up and it does appear to have a lot of potential, at first glance anyway. The two words – has rust – are scary, but two others – no title – bring up all sorts of questions, not to mention hurdles to ever putting this car back on the road.
Buy a runner…!!!
Parking this mess in front of your business might not be a good move.
Just gimme a 350 V,-8 and a T 400 tranny and I’ll fix it for you. I
Chevy swapped a later model Jaguar sedan (’59 I think). I got the car given to me by a car dealer friend of Dad’s who wanted it gone. Other than the fire damage up front, (a wire fire took out everything from the cabin forward) the car was in amazing condition and the only way I could save it was to swap it. So I got a swap kit from Crown
Engineering in Lost Angeles, dropped in a 350 from a T boned
29K mile.’70 Impala sedan. The
350 was backed by a T 400 auto
tranny which I used as well. I also had the car re wired to American specs and had it repainted in the original color too.
I even had the guys in woodworking class at my school
make me a new dashboard complete with outlets for the A/C
vents and the control stack to make those things look like they
grew there. I sold it to a prominent local doctor for $4K in
the spring of ’72. That was almost 3 times what I had in it.
So, yeah, I saved a really nice car
by swapping it. Not all swappers
are butchers, and I had the proof.
I don’t understand how all that rust can be confined to the chassis and apparently none of it spread to the rest of the car, which looks to be in excellent condition.