Let’s see: what, oh what, to drive to that state dinner at the palace? The Bentley is nice but so ponderous, particularly when you know that Sir George will show up piloting his own sports car – perhaps with that blonde girlfriend whom the tabloids love to prattle on about. Here’s the ticket, though it will need extraction from its role as garage filler as well as a bit of spiffing: this 1960 Jaguar Mk IX on craigslist, with an asking price of $11,000. Bring your trailer to New Kensington, Pennsylvania to retrieve her, because she’s been parked since the 1990s pending a repair to the fuel pumps. The sale is being conducted to settle an estate, and yes, the photos do not flatter the car. Mitchell G sent us this tip – thanks, Mitchell!

Graceful but imposing, luxurious but fast, the Mk IX offered dignitaries a new way to travel after the slower 3.4 liter Mk VII. The motor is an uprated 220 hp, 3.8 liter, DOHC six-cylinder fed by two SU carburetors; when new, it could sprint to sixty mph in about eleven seconds on its way to its top speed of about 115 mph. The four-wheel disc brakes, optional automatic transmission, and power steering rounded out the mechanical improvements supplied with the Mk IX. Charles de Gaulle was ferried about in a Mk IX while visiting Canada; the Nigerian government bought forty of them. The seller indicates that his dad installed a stainless exhaust and possibly stainless brake calipers. No mention is made of the pile of parts, a selection of which can be seen here. This car is equipped with the optional Borg Warner automatic.

Thanks to Jaguar’s obsession with the sporting sedan market at the time, no effort was invested in redesigning its big luxury cars. The Mk IX’s exterior is nearly unchanged from the earlier Mk VIII. The interior is draped with leather and deep pile wool carpet, accented with burled walnut wood (dash, door trim, rear trays). A new owner should hope the interior is in decent condition because refurbishment is very expensive. At the very least, the dash and door caps show that the wood could use refinishing. Detailed photos of inner fenders and floors reveal no rust, though there’s nothing like an in-person inspection to confirm a lack of rot.

These cars are quite stylish, with sweeping fender lines and an attractive rounded greenhouse. Two-tone paint can help define the body panels and provide a visual break in the significant metal acreage of this big cat. Prices for finished cars are not high, given the intensity of work required to restore one. Here’s an example with an asking price of $54k, and it’s a running, driving, former show winner. What do you think is a reasonable price for a non-running Mk IX project car?