I am without doubt an over enthusiastic Jaguar petrol head, so when the opportunity to get hold of this Mark 1 came up, I grabbed it without a second thought. These are becoming increasingly rare in decent condition.
Yes it's a "film car" was restored in the late 1980s/early 1990s with 15 years or thereabouts off the road prior to the restoration.
Post restoration in 1999 it had an unleaded head fitted and was fitted with an overdrive unit.
As a 2.4 litre 1956 model it has drum brakes on all four wheels.
As for its pedigree, the preferred choice by many might be its MKII successor liked by the public, law enforcement, and criminals alike, with the more substantial 3.4 litre engine of course.
The Mark I did represent, however, a pivotal point in Jaguar's business development, and not only the company's history under the Jaguar Cars Ltd from 1945, but also the contribution of the pre-war SS Cars Ltd company whose production facilities were requisitioned to contribute to the war effort.
But the circumstances contributing to it's development including the XK engine, despite the difficulties, could almost comprise the strategy detailed in a modern day business mentors bible (and indeed a Geoffrey Archer novel),right up to the point when the decision to manufacture a chassis-less unibody 2.4 litre Jaguar catapulted the already innovative Jaguar Cars Ltd into the golden age of car manufacturing achieving a legendary and iconic status at home and abroad.
