2015-07-23 20:36:21 | pauls writes:

Car was at auction 7/15
classiccars.brightwells.com/viewdetails.php

Auction description:
Lot number 83
Hammer value £60,000
Description Jaguar MkI 3.4 Manual Overdrive Saloon
Registration XUF 659
Year 1959
Colour British Racing Green
Engine size 3,442 cc
Chassis No. S978900DN
Engine No. KF8246-8

As the accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms, XUF 659 was manufactured in August 1959 and is among the last 46 MkI Jaguars made in RHD before it was replaced by the MkII during that same month. British Racing Green with a Suede Green interior and disc brakes, it was supplied by Jaguar dealer Moore of Brighton to first owner Dr Hal Koefman of 60 Wimpole Street, London W1 on 9th September 1959, the original buff log book showing that he kept it until 1965 (the good Dr K must have been a real MkI fan as he could just as easily have ordered a MkII).

Then as now, Wimpole Street was a very prestigious address and Paul McCartney lived a couple of doors away from Koefman at the time, sharing Number 57 with his then-girlfriend, Jane Asher, he and John Lennon writing 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' and 'Yesterday' in the basement of the house. With so much media attention focusing on The Beatles, there are no doubt photos and footage out there somewhere showing this very Jaguar in the background!

It then had four more owners until 1977 at which point it seems to have gone into storage where it was to remain until 2002 (an old MOT from 1977 records the mileage as 60,045 at this point, the same figure as when the car was returned to the road in 2003). It was rediscovered in Streatham by a Mr Hewitt of Whyteleaf, Surrey, in 2002 and handed over to Autocats of Rayleigh for a sympathetic restoration.

Over £32,000 was spent on the car in the next couple of years including localised body repairs and a full engine rebuild with new pistons etc., many bills, letters and photographs in the history file documenting the process in great detail. Great care was taken to ensure as much originality as possible, the vendor confirming that the rear seat wells are still the original PSF pressings (Pressed Steel Fisher) and that the leather seat coverings are also original as are the 'Ace' number plates.

The car was then lightly used until 2009 when it seems that it was acquired by renowned Jaguar restorers, JD Classics of Chelmsford, Essex. It then underwent a further bout of 'refreshment' which included a full respray; engine bay detailing; suspension overhaul; cooling system overhaul; brake system overhaul; new wiring loom; new carpets and interior renovation; new colour-coded wire wheels and tyres plus a new stereo system and iPod connection. These jobs are itemised in a document from JD Classics and while no invoice is attached, the vendor was told by JD Classics that some £28,000 had been spent on the car during this 'refreshment', bringing the total refurbishment costs to some £60,000 since the car was rescued from storage in 2002.

Still with only 65,531 miles on the clock, the car remains in outstanding condition today and must surely be one of the finest surviving examples. It comes with the aforementioned buff and green log books and Heritage Certificate, a large history file extending back to the 1970s, an original owner's handbook and lubrication chart, modern V5C and two sets of keys. Only reluctantly for sale due to a change in circumstances, it is said to drive as well as it looks.

So much more classy and bespoke than the somewhat flashy MkII, the MkI is also incomparably the rarer car - just 17,405 of the 3.4-litre cars were made before production ended in 1959 and it is thought that no more than 200 RHD examples survive today, only a handful of which are roadworthy. A good few have been converted into formidable racing machines. Anyone who has been to the Goodwood Revival will tell you what a fantastic spectacle they make on the track - and how mean and moody they look in the paddock! A small industry has also sprung up converting them into fabulous Mike Hawthorn replicas.

Long undervalued, the 3.4-litre is finally being accorded the respect it deserves and good ones are increasingly sought after - though rarely available as owners tend to hang on to them. This superb, matching numbers, end-of-production example is about as good as they get and surely represents a shrewd investment at the sensible guide price suggested.

2024-08-01 09:05:20 | pauls writes:

Car returns to auction 8/24

www.goodingco.com/lot/1959-jaguar-mk-i/

Auction description:

Lot 20

London Auction 2024

1959 Jaguar Mk I

Estimate £40,000 - £60,000| Without Reserve

Chassis S978900DN

Engine KF8246-8

Attractive Mk I; and Among the Final 46 Right-Hand-Drive Examples Built

Retains Its Matching-Numbers Twin-Cam Straight-Six Engine per JDHT Certificate

Benefits from Documented Mechanical and Cosmetic Work

Presented in Its Original Colors of British Racing Green over Suede Green Leather Upholstery

A Fantastic, Highly Usable Jaguar Offered with a Substantial History File

4-Speed Manual Gearbox with Overdrive

For all the model’s accolades, this Jaguar Mk I is a particularly noteworthy example. Manufactured in August 1959, it is among the final 46 right-handdrive Mk Is built and remains in its original color combination of British Racing Green over a Suede Green leather interior. It was delivered via Jaguar dealer Moore of Brighton, on September 9, 1959, to its first owner, Dr. Hal Koefman of London, who retained the Mk I until 1965. After passing among several enthusiasts, its next known owner was Mr. Hewitt of Surrey, who discovered the Jaguar in storage in 2002 and commissioned a sympathetic restoration, which included body repairs and an engine rebuild. In 2009, it was acquired by marque specialists JD Classics, which further refurbished the car. Work included overhauling the cooling and brake systems, new wheels and tires, a repaint, new carpeting, and an engine bay detailing. Retaining its matching-numbers engine, this Jaguar Mk I is a fine example of one of the marque’s most usable and sporting four-place automobiles.