We have all heard that those who wish to enter certain religious orders must first take a vow of poverty in order to show their dedication. That commitment obviously separates out those who are not truly serious about their devotion to the cause. The owner of this collection of British cars may have inadvertently chosen poverty by amassing a collection of interesting, but sometimes hard to maintain, vehicles. Now, that poor chap is looking to cast off the chains. Take a look at this British car collection for sale on craigslist in Vallejo, California. While some have already sold, there are two Jaguars with Chevy V-8s, a Lotus Elan, and a Jensen Healey still looking for good homes. Thanks to Gunter K. for the tip!
British cars are often the butt of jokes. From the picture of a glass jar with smoke in it labeled Lucas Wiring Harness Smoke to the endless needling that owners endure about breaking down, cars from the Mother Country have a certain reputation. Much of this is not warranted. Our collective understanding of British cars is from the seventies. Great Britain was going through a large amount of turmoil in regard to manufacturing and labor, and these issues naturally manifested themselves in the finished products on occasion. When you look to the American auto industry in the 1970s, it’s not like we covered ourselves in glory either. It was tough times all around for everyone. The British also didn’t really have a chance to redeem themselves in the American market after 1980 either.
Add to that the fact that owning a foreign car of any sort is often more difficult and more expensive just by the nature of how far most parts need to travel. We are used to having anything we want on our doorstep in two days, but that was not the case back in the day. Imagine your anger when you have just purchased a new car, it breaks down, and the service manager tells you that the part will take two weeks to get there. Post-Covid, that is an experience again for almost every type of car. The jokes just haven’t started yet.
When we look at the cars pictured in the ad, we have to wonder what struggles the owner went through before deciding that they no longer wanted to play with British cars. The ad states that the person who wrote the ad is doing so for an elderly friend who is not computer savvy. Owning a collectible or classic car can be a lot of work, but the collection in the ad totaled seven separate British cars. Three of those have already sold or a sale is pending. They were a 1966 Lotus Elan coupe, a 1974 Lotus Europa John Player Special, and a 1968 Marcos project car. A 1965 Lotus Elan, a 1974 1/2 Jensen Healey, a 1976 Jaguar XJS coupe, and a 1977 Jaguar XJ6 four door sedan are all that is left.
The Elan is advertised as a former SCCA B-Production class race car that obviously was returned to street legal condition at some time. This is obviously the prize of the collection. While the black with a whole lot of gold trim style detracts from the Elan’s simple, lithe beauty, the car may well be worth the $25,000 asking price if it were well sorted out when returned to the road. As for the 1974 1/2 Jensen Healey convertible, there are no pictures in the ad of this vehicle. It is described as a hard top convertible with a five-speed transmission and air conditioning. The $7,000 or best offer asking price makes one curious to see what shape it might be in.
As for the Jaguars, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that both appear to be serviceable and rust free. The coupe is even riding on what looks to be eighties vintage gold BBS wheels. Sadly, the bad news is that both of these beautiful cats have been stripped of their original engines. In their place are two small block Chevrolet V-8s. Kits to convert these cars to more common Chevrolet power were popular back in the day. A lot of that popularity was due to the fact you could get a brand-new Chevrolet V-8 for around $1,000 from any speed parts house and many Chevy dealers. These were base engines with steel valve covers and no-frills whatsoever, but a new Chevy small block was usually a lot cheaper than a major repair on a Jaguar inline six or V-12. Both cars are being sold for $6,000 each. There is no mention of the original engines being around for the trade.
In all, one can see how this collection, while neat, could be a lot to bear. The V-8 conversions kind of hint to the owner having more love than money or at least a passion for practicality. Each of the cars left could be a neat driver. Hopefully new owners can be found, and these cars hit the road again soon.
Have any of you owned a British car? What was the experience like?
I own two: a 1959 Jaguar XK150S and a 1960 Jaguar Mark IX. Like them as much as my other cars. They simply need to be driven and modestly maintained, and no more than my others.
That said, I used to own a 2004 Jaguar XKR. Absolutely wonderful to drive, but electronic parts unobtanium. I sold it. By the way, same issue with Mustangs of this vintage — but there are enough of those in salvage yards for now. The electronics parts availability issue is going to become pervasive soon across all ICE cars. New ICE cars are full of custom electronic ASICs, but the manufacturers have no obligation to provide parts past the warranty. The feds are so enamored with EVs that they are happy to see ICE cars obsoleted, so don’t expect any consumer protection from them. We have virtually arrived at the point where a beautiful 10 year old ICE car with 40,000 miles on it will not be able to be repaired if an electronic failure happens.
I have many 50’s and 60 British cars and have the same opinion: I drive hard, autocross and have road raced these cars minimally modified as they were Agreed about the “new” Jags, My S and X types have around 30 fuses! My 57 Mk-1 has two I think! The new stuff is typically throw away as indicated by all the late very decent but flawed cars in the breakers/wrecking yards–costs too much to repair them! I’ll save mine for car shows maybe carried there in a closed trailer!
1970’s BMC theft protection was a plastic pin molded in the fusebox to prevent you from placing one of the fuses in middle and driving away. If you ever owned a two fuse BMC you know what I’m talking about.
Have owned Austin Healey’s, early Minis, Jaguar, Midgets a Devon and misc. other Brits. Have to say I fell in love with all of them for various reasons. They all had their own “personalities” and “quirks” even though some were the same models and years. If you know…you know what I’m saying. You either love them or you hate them. Would love to add a TD to my list. “Wife says it has to be big enough for me to live in”. Enough said. ) :
The ad says it expired, not deleted.
My 1975 TR6 ran great for years, had an alternator go out but that’s anything of that age.
The Jag’s are worth about $3500 each and going down by the day, by the way the 350 conversion was the wise thing to do if you enjoyed driving them . As for the rest of the collection Jensen-Healeys had their moment in the sun a few years ago when for reasons unknown a couple popped up and actually sold for decent dollars ( Jensen decent) if someone offered $1000 don’t counter