THE LOVEABLE ROGUE
1960 JAGUAR MK 23.4
We often find ourselves asking, what is it about these old Jags that almost 60 years on still makes us go all misty-eyed? Other old vehicles simply grow into intriguing objects with little desire to possess, but this one is special. The Jaguar Mk2 has mellowed into a blue-blooded international icon and reminds us of an age before political correctness, when it was OK to indulge in a bit of mild mischief. Roguish and voguish, yet still highly respectable, Jaguar pulled off a marvel when they released the Mk2, and some may even say it was the perfect product for the era and target demographic.
This particular 1960 Jaguar Mk2 is like new, with only 63,100 miles on the clock, and is a New Zealand–new car with the 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine — the head was refurbished and had a new radiator fitted in recent years. It includes all the original pieces, including the interior linings, down to the carpet, and even has the original recessed sun visors, pendant throttle pedal — which was only fitted to the early models — original oil-bath air cleaner mounted behind the headlight inside the front mudguard, and comes with the complete tool kit it was issued with when new! It is authenticated with a Jaguar Heritage Certificate to assure the potential buyer that all numbers match as they should and is still fitted with the original four-speed Moss gearbox with electric overdrive and manual steering. When the original paint began to oxidize, it was repainted, eight years ago, in the original Imperial Maroon colour option, while all the interior linings were removed and the interior Fishoilene treated to ensure longevity.
Stamped as chassis No. 1289, this car was built in 1959, and it was registered new by Archibald’s. With a total of seven owners, the first owner imported the car and drove 36,000 miles before selling it to a father-and-son pairing, who became the second and third owners, respectively, owning the car for 41 years and only clocking up 18,000 more miles. The remaining miles were contributed by the following owners and its previous owner, who had it for five years.
The Mk2 is exciting, quick, and elegant. It has a predatorial brutality that, to this day, few cars can match, and can reside in your garage for $59,990.