Lot Ended
Description
In the current ownership for 26 years; Coombs spats; louvred bonnet;
full-length sunroof; use and improve condition with oodles of charm; a proper
getaway car at a modest guide price
More than just a
car, the Jaguar MkII 3.8 was an iconic hunk of British muscle that perfectly
encapsulated the mischief and the glamour of the Swinging
Sixties.
In 1959, while the rest of the British
car industry was churning out beige transport for bank clerks, Jaguar was busy
shoe-horning a race-bred 3.8 inline-six into a four-door saloon, cocooning the
cockpit in leather and walnut, and accidentally creating the greatest getaway
car the criminal underworld had ever seen.
It was
fast. Surprisingly fast. Hurl it down the Queen’s highway and it didn’t just go,
it surged forward with tyre-smoking alacrity, putting 220bhp under the driver’s
right foot and hitting 60 in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 125mph. Impressive
stuff in the Sixties, allowing the villains to outrun the police in their
antiquated Wolseleys with contemptuous ease – which is precisely why every
self-respecting bank robber in London bought or stole one, forcing the cops to
buy a fleet of them to keep up.
Roy ‘The Weasel’
James, a talented Formula Junior racing driver turned criminal, was a legend in
the London underworld for his bank-job escapades in modified MkII Jags with
beefed up suspension and kill-switches for the brake and tail-lights to evade
the chasing plod – skills that saw him designated as chief getaway driver in the
Great Train Robbery.
A perfect
blend of muscular styling and feline grace, the Jag MkII has aged incredibly
well and remains one of the best-loved and coolest-looking cars on the road
today, easily keeping up with modern traffic and drawing waves and smiles
wherever it goes.
This particular 3.8 manual
overdrive was first registered in Buckinghamshire in April 1963, just four
months before the Great Train Robbery took place at nearby Bridego Railway
Bridge – not that we’re suggesting anything, of course…
With sporty Coombs wheel spats, louvred bonnet, Moto-Lita steering
wheel and wide chrome wheels, it does look every inch the getaway car, but as it
comes with no early history we’ll just leave it at that.
Our vendor bought it back in April 2000 from a fellow JEC Club member
down in Ipswich, Mr S Kippax, a letter from him relating that it was a very
reluctant sale due to the arrival of a baby with another on the way: ‘She’s a
beautiful car and we shall be very sorry to see her go’.
Our vendor went right through the car when he bought it, fitting
various new parts (brake discs and calipers; suspension bushes; ball joints etc)
and it was in regular use thereafter, clocking up 10,000 miles over the next
dozen years, including various JEC events and tours round France and
Switzerland.
There are a fair few invoices for
routine upkeep and the odd new part, although it never seems to have needed
much, the stand-out item being the full-length Webasto sunroof which was
professionally fitted in 2007. There are also 16 old MOTs which show the mileage
rising from 35,556 in July 1994 to 60,143 in June 2015 shortly after which the
Jag was laid up and put into nice dry storage alongside a few other classics
owned by the vendor.
Recently brought out of
storage and fitted with a new battery, it was soon got running again to prepare
it for this auction. It has been starting easily and running well as we have
driven it around on site, with healthy oil pressure and a proper getaway car
turn of speed. Given the recent lack of use, a thorough check-over and a service
would be advised before any long journeys are undertaken.
There are sundry useful spares in the boot, along with a spare wheel
and wheel-changing kit, two original Jaguar tool kits and a Haynes workshop
manual. It retains its original Bucks-issue number plate, 8085 BH, which is
transferable according to the V5C and doubtless has a value of its
own.
As you can see in the photos, this
much-loved MkII has bags of character and is in decent shape for a 63-year-old
with just the odd bubble under the paintwork emerging here and there. Only
reluctantly for sale due to the advancing years of the owner, it is on offer
here at a modest guide price and could be smartened up over time as
desired.
Although if you’ve got any trips to the bank planned, perhaps best to
leave it as it is. No point getting it too shiny in case you pick up any scrapes
on your way out…
Consigned by James Dennison
– 07970 309907 – [email protected]