Buying Guide Our Jaguar MKI inspection advice might stop you getting into spats
With increasing recognition comes rising prices. Here’s how to buy wisely
Overshadowed by the ever-popular Mk2, the lighter, cleaner-lined MKI is finally being recognised for its exceptionally advanced specification, usability, great looks and performance.
Jaguar’s first monocoque-construction saloon, aimed at a much wider market than previous models, had 2.65in lopped off the 3.4-litre six: its oversquare, freerevving 2483cc produced 112bhp at 5720rpm, with a healthy 140lb ft torque at 2000rpm. Noise and vibration were reduced by fitting the stateof-the-art coil-sprung twin-wishbone front suspension with an anti-roll bar and telescopic dampers on a separate subframe, with special rubber mountings shaped for positive location. The live rear axle was hung on one end of a longitudinal leaf spring each side, with telescopic dampers, twin radius arms and a Panhard rod controlling movement. Servo assistance for the big drum brakes kept pedal loadings low.
Two years on, Jaguar was losing the performance saloon battle to big V8s in America and needed a quick solution. The answer was to offer the 3.4 engine in the compact body, giving a 15mph higher top speed and creating a great racing saloon in the process, even if it did only have drum brakes as standard. Cutaway rear spats replaced the full rear spats of the 2.4, officially to allow clearance for optional wire wheels, but also to improve cooling of the rear drum brakes.
Our experts are Neil Hussey and Mike Wilkinson. Neil is Sales, Support and Development Manager at SNG Barratt, the largest Jaguar spares supplier. Mike has been restoring and race-preparing Jaguars, including Mkis, for over 30 years and is a big fan of the MKI. ‘It’s quieter than the Mk2, and the heater works!’
Which one to choose?
2.4 Special Equipment Launched in October 1955, the fully equipped SE was the most popular 2.4. Most had the optional overdrive, giving a 101.5mph top speed and 14.4sec 0-60mph (non-overdrive models were a little slower). A wider grille came in 1957, with disc brakes optional from the end of that year. At a fraction over 15ft long and 5½ft wide, the 2.4 was a genuinely compact car with lively performance for its day – way ahead of the 2.6 Ford Zephyr or 2.3 Vauxhall Cresta.
2.4 Standard This lacked the Jaguar mascot on the grille, spotlamps, heater, rear centre armrest, tachometer, clock, cigar lighter, windscreen washers, door-operated interior lights and black vitreous enamelling on the exhaust manifolds.
3.4 Manual Available from early 1957, the 210bhp 3.4 came with twin SU carburettors, a higher axle ratio and cutaway rear spats to aid brake cooling and allow clearance for optional wire wheels. Many 2.4s have been converted to 3.4s – check chassis/engine numbers match and that other parts have been upgraded too.
3.4 Automatic A Borg-warner 3-speed auto gave a genuine 120mph top speed with 0-60mph in 11.2sec – exceptional in 1957. The gear selector quadrant was fitted under the centre of the dashboard.
Rot is the Mki’s biggest enemy. Overshadowed for too long by the Mk2, most suffered all manner of neglect and bodgery through the Sixties and Seventies. Some areas of the unitary construction bodyshell are very complex, so are time-consuming and expensive to restore properly. Rot can take hold almost anywhere, and past repairs often start rusting at their edges, which may be away from traditional rot spots. Though some Mk2 repair sections can be used, virtually all panels are different so localised repairs are more likely. Make sure the car is clean and dry, and work your way around, looking for untoward bulging of the paint that indicates festering areas below.
Check around headlights and horn grilles, and all along the base of the wings at the back of the bumper – then check the structural sections behind the bumper inside the wings, and all around the front wheelarches. Check the front chassis legs from below, from inside the wings and from the engine bay, as well as the front subframe and the inner wings adjacent to the chassis legs. Move to the rear of the front wings to check the A-posts and bulkhead.
The sills and floor structure are vulnerable, especially at the ends of the sills and where they join the door-posts. Open the doors and check the shut faces – not forgetting to check the doors themselves, especially the bottom and inner faces. Check the rear door shut faces, especially where the spats attach, then inside the rear wheelarch (remove the spats) and down below, where the cantilever rear springs are mounted
‘Overshadowed by the Mk2, most Mkis suffered all manner of neglect and bodgery in the Sixties and Seventies’
‘Only William Lyons could have delivered such firstgeneration beauty in a way that ticks so many boxes’
– this is a particularly complex area to repair (also lift out the rear seat cushion to check from above).
Then check the rear wheelarch (with the spats off) and around the rear valance, paying particular attention underneath to the box section that supports the bumper. Also check the boot floor, spare wheel well, petrol tank and bootlid. Check around all the windows, especially front and rear, also looking inside for signs of water ingress.
It’s a lot to check, but a full professional rebuild of a rusty MKI is likely to cost between £10,000 and £25,000 – more if rot is severe. Interior trim is delightful walnut and leather – different in every important detail to the Mk2. That said, provided it is intact, virtually everything is within the capabilities of a good trimmer, woodworker or instrument specialist to restore. If a full retrim is the only option, budget around £7000-8000.
The XK engine is the gem at the heart of the MKI. The oversquare 2.4’s 112bhp was easily upped by replacing the economy Solexes with a pair of SUS. The Su-equipped 3.4’s storming 210bhp made it a real flyer. A worn engine will rattle and knock from the bottom-end (with associated low oil pressure); a rattly timing chain is a relatively minor issue, while flat performance is likely to be caused by worn cams. A full engine rebuild costs around £6000, while taking the engine out to cure the common leak from the rear crankshaft oil seal will cost £1000. The cooling system requires corrosion inhibitor, otherwise engine waterways and the radiator will silt up and cause overheating, leading to a blown head gasket.
Gearboxes are Moss four-speed with or without overdrive, or Borg-warner 3-speed auto. The BorgWarner can usually be rebuilt for under £1500 and its only real drawback is low overall gearing. The Moss can be rebuilt for around the same but is unlikely to be as good as new because of limited parts availability. Five-speed gearbox conversions are popular and improve on the non-overdrive Moss box but a good overdrive gearbox is nicer and worth a 10% premium.
A higher final drive is well worth fitting for more relaxed motorway cruising. The 2.4’s axle ratio was lowered from 4.27:1 to 4.55:1 when overdrive was fitted, making second gear ‘adequate for starting in all normal conditions’. The 3.4 was much higher geared;
ratios of 4.27 or even 3.77 are better for a 2.4 with overdrive, 3.77 for a 2.4 without and 3.54 or higher for a manual 3.4. The narrow rear track is often criticised and some cars have been fitted with wider Mk2 axles, necessitating Coombs-style cutaway rear spats (see above), though it retains the standard axle. Converting to wire wheels justifies a 10 percent price premium.
Lockheed servo-assisted brakes came in for early modification during production and were criticised on road test for being ‘almost too sensitive’ at town speeds, but said to be fade-free from high speed on the 2.4. Tests of the automatic 3.4 said the brakes juddered and pulled. Four-wheel Dunlop discs became optional in 1958 and are a desirable modification.
The steering is unassisted Burman recirculating ball with 4.3 turns lock to lock – quite a handful on hairpin bends and when parking, especially if wide radial tyres have been fitted, but rarely an issue otherwise. Many cars have had the original steering wheel replaced with a smaller item. Chromework is hard to find and a full rechrome is likely to cost upwards of £5000.