It took John Holcroft five years to restore his Jaguar Mark II. There was a lot of pain along the way, with the engine having to be removed no less than four times, as one problem after another reared its ugly head. But like so many, John was smitten, so he persevered with chasing perfection. And the end result, it has to be said, is quite perfect.

The interior is as regal as they come. You could be taking tea with the Queen in here. Not an inch of the cabin space is untrimmed, with leather and veneered wood wherever you look. But the intimacy of the cabin’s proportions signals clearly that it’s a sports saloon rather than a gargantuan, palatial limo. Smiths and Lucas instruments peer back at the driver, small wing mirrors sit just above the period quarterlight windows and you can operate the main beam for the headlamps using a foot-operated button on the floor. A column-shift for the automatic gearbox sits just behind the thin-rimmed steering wheel. It is every inch a special environment, a car that’s confident of its identity, a car with all the sense of occasion you’ll get from the Ferrari 328 GTS. John bought his car in 2000. “I’m a motor mechanic, and I served my time on these. I’m a BMC and Rolls-Royce apprentice. The car came via a customer and had been sat for 20 years in a disused building, rotting away.” Bar the paint and veneer, John did the lot himself during the five-year restoration.

The Jaguar Mark II was arguably the car that its predecessor should have been. Although really only a comprehensive facelift of the Mark I (initially called the Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre) it sported a larger glass house, new grille and modern interior design, yet somehow unlocked the potential in the design and turned it from a modest success into a sensation.

Actually, it was what was going on beneath the skin that really transformed the car, and not just because the 3.8-litre engine developed for the D-Type racer had become an option, albeit in somewhat less ferocious form. More importantly, the car was a very early adopter of four-wheel disc brakes and, crucially, came with a higher rear roll centre and widened rear track that transformed the somewhat skittish handling of the Mark I for the better. No wonder, then, that it became one of the most fearsome and feared machines on the saloon car racing scene of the era. As a car in which to feel good about life as you waft around, there is something to be said for the 2.4-litre cars. After all, they still have that look and Jaguar’s classic twin-cam straight-six, but it is revealing that even in period, this substantially cheaper model was the slowest selling. By the time it came out in 1959, Jaguar has already won Le Mans five times that decade and had its world-beating XK sports car series, so customers found the sporting versions more appealing.

So the temptation is to go for the best: an early 3.8-litre car with a manual, overdrive gearbox – and there is no question that all other things being equal, they are the ones to have. But actually, the 3.4-litre comes closer than their respective reputations would ever suggest, and unless you’re planning on driving your Mark II harder than most people would chose to drive a 60-year-old car these days, a 3.4-litre may well provide no less real-world enjoyment, and do so for a considerably lesser outlay. In both cases, these are fine things to drive. Even today, they feel strong and effortless, with excellent brakes and nicely controlled and balanced handling. The Mark II is a car that has built up a stellar reputation for an old saloon. How nice it is to see that, for once, it turns out to be thoroughly deserved.

1967 Jaguar Mark II
Engine: Straight 6-cylinder, 3781cc
Transmission: 3-speed automatic, RWD
Power: 219bhp @ 5500rpm
Weight: 1520kg

The Hagerty Valuation Team says

Hagerty value condition #2: £27,700
2019 Hagerty value condition #2: £21,700
Hagerty 12-month value change: +£6000 (27.6%)

Like the Mini, the Jaguar Mark II is an iconic classic: it has been collected and cherished since the day it was first sold. In recent years, values have been relatively steady and have not fluctuated as wildly as its prettier sibling, the E-Type. However, values have already risen by nearly a third this year, yet we feel that the Mark II still has potential for growth. This year, in the five months from May to September, six examples sold at UK auction for over £50,000. Compare that to the previous 18 months, when only five sold at that level. With the E-Type’s 60th birthday in 2021 that will attract attention to the marque. If you want a good Mark II, now may be the time to buy.

Link to the full Article

Article by Hagerty's 

Since December 2017, our good friends across the pond at Hagerty US have published the Bull Market list. An annual compilation of classic and modern classic cars that should be both a pleasure to drive and live with, it highlights emerging trends and changing tastes across the enthusiast car scene. Better still, the Bull Market list helps drivers make informed decisions when embarking on the exhaustive task of choosing their ideal classic from the thousands available. And although our advice is to buy with your heart and feel an emotional connection with a classic car, knowing that the head has helped steer the heart to a car that is increasingly in demand, and therefore more likely than not to increase in value, should help ensure that your money doesn’t evaporate like bodywork turning to rust.