Very Well Preserved: 1957 Jaguar Mark I

Although the Jaguar Mark I has often been derided as a warm-up for the more advanced Mark II, it’s a darned good car in its own right. What we have here is a 1957 Jaguar Mark 1 Saloon (sedan) in better-than-average condition on Craigslist in Amarillo, Texas. The asking price is $25,000. That’s right in line with the Classic.com average transaction price, $28,414, for these opulent road warriors built between 1955 and 1959. Maybe there’s negotiating room, because there are still some to-dos on this car.

These are unibody cars, greatly subject to rust, though this one has apparently escaped—by being a lifetime resident of Texas. Undercarriage photos would be useful. The Mark I was powered by a 210-horsepower 3.4-liter version of Jaguar’s long-lived dual-overhead-cam six, but a de-contented 2.4-liter version with 112 horsepower was also available for less money. All fuel systems have been rebuilt on this example, including the two SU carbs. It has the Borg Warner automatic.

The 50,000 miles listed (but not verified) are believable. The car reportedly wears its original paint, which looks great in the (weirdly truncated) photos, though the vendor admits to “some blemishes.”

This is a U.S.-spec left-hand-drive example, with a leather and wood interior that’s worn like fine wine. This is one area where Mark Is are fully the equal of Mark IIs. The headliner looks fine, and the carpet is new. The car also has new brake cylinders for the drum brakes. Front discs were only offered at the end of 1957.  The electric fuel pump was also rebuilt. The heater works, but the wiper motor needs rebuilding or replacement.

The third owner says that “thousands” have been spent, verified by a book of service records. “The car was delivered to Texas, and the second owner brought it to Amarillo, left it in his garage, and never did drive it,” says the owner. “I have had it completely gone through to get it running. It starts up first try every time, runs, and drives, with a good strong motor. It’s a 66-year-old car and not perfect. And like all Jaguars, there are some oil leaks.”

These cars had a live rear axle and independent front suspension. The Mark II introduced a wider rear track (after criticism of the Mark I, which had a rear track 4.5 inches narrower than the front) and rear suspension that used trailing links and cantilever semi-elliptic springs, with parallel radius arms.

The ’57 Mark I with the 3.4 and automatic had a top speed of 119.8 mph, and could hit 60 mph in 11.2 seconds. These cars were never numerous. A total of 17,405 3.4s were built, versus 19,992 of the 2.4s.

The buyer of this car will become the fourth owner of a true British classic, albeit one with oil leaks, Smiths gauges, and Lucas “(“prince of darkness”) electrics.