Classic & Sports Car - December 2015 UK

WE TESTTHE CLASSICSTHATYOU CAN BUY

ThisMkXis justaboutmint.It hadoneowner until 2009 when,after 23

years in storage,it wasrecommissionedandresprayed to curefa ding

paint.Sincethenthe enginehasbeendetailedandfittedwitha Pertronix

distributor, plusit’s hadvariousmechanicalworks suchas a steeringjoint

anda driveshaftUJ, rearbrake calipersrebuiltas well as the offsidefuel

tankreplaced.A new frontfloorpanwaslet in by AlanCarringtonin 2011.

It’s deadstraight,rot-freeandthe doorsfit well. A splitwindscreen

rubberis the onlythingyou canpickup on. Thechromeis all of excellent

appearance,even thoughthe frontbumperis a littlewavy,the rearone

mildlyscratchedandthe bootlidplintha bit pickled.Thetyresare decent

MichelinXWXs, withan unused-lookingDunlopSP41on the spare,which

mightbe an original.Tucked behindit is a completefa ctorytoolkit.

Inside,the frontleatherlooksnewer thanin the back,whichis nicely

patinated.Theveneersandcappingsare perfect– as is the headlining–

andit featuresthe rare ‘Henlys’ central armrestalongwitha steeringlock.

Thestraight-sixwaspaintedrecentlyafterreceivingfreshcoreplugs

andthe enamellingis stillintacton the new exhaustmanifolds,heldon with

gleamingbrassnuts.Theradiatorwaschangedandthe dynamorebuiltin

2009.Incredibly,for an XK motor, thereare no leaks.Its oil is darkand

justover ‘Max’, the coolantlevel is correctandthe autofluidniceandpink.

TheJag drives superbly,takinga whileto firecleanlyon all six thanks

to nothavinghada decentrun for sometime.Oil pressuregoesrightover

to 60psion start-upandhardlyfa lls fromthere,whichis strongfor an XK,

whilethe watertemperatureis steadyat 70ºC.Theautomaticgearbox

shiftssmoothly,the intermediateratio holdstillfunctioning,the power

steeringis fluidandthe brakes are firm.Even the originalradio crackles

whenyou turnit on, thoughwe couldn’tactuallypickup a station.

TheMkXwillbe soldwitha JaguarHeritageCertificate,sparekeys,

handbooksandsundrybills,plusan MoTuntil Maynext year.

SUMMARY

EXTERIOR

∑Sharpshutlines;brilliantpaint;

prettygoodchromework, too

INTERIOR

∑Nearperfect;wood beautiful

MECHANICALS

∑Muchlooked afterandhealthy

VALUE★★★★★★★✩✩✩

ForAboutas goodas whenit left

BrownsLane– probablybetter!

AgainstIt’s almosttooshiny;

the wheeltrimsrattlea bit

SHOULDI BUYIT?

If you wanta concourscontender

that’s completein every detailand

needsvirtuallynothing,thenyes

CASE HISTORIES

December 2015 Classic& SportsCar 229

JAGUARMkX3.8

Ye ar of manufacture 1963 Recordedmileage49,635

Askingprice£24,995VendorPercivalMotorCo, Pye Corner,

Ulcombe,Kent;tel: 01622851841;www.percivalmotorco.co.uk

WHENIT WAS NEW

Price£2156Maxpower265bhpMaxtorque260lbft

0-60mph10.8secsTop speed115mphMpg12-23