1958 Jaguar Mark I Saloon

Looking for a rare, old cat? This Jaguar from the late 1950s still looks very striking 65 years later in wonderful driving condition and equally nice to look at with a great pedigree.

The car was purchased new in 1958 from Russell Scala Jaguar in Hartford, Connecticut, then kept on a castle-like home in nearby Meriden, where it was mainly chauffeur driven.

In 1984, it was sold to a neighbor who had it featured in Jaguar International Magazine's March of 1987 Issue. During his ownership he gave the Mark 1 a paint re-spray in the original Jaguar black and still shows in very good overall condition today. The bodywork is straight and solid and the engine bay is tidy. The cargo area is clean and the chrome bumpers fit tightly to the body.

The Jaguar was given to his son as a wedding gift in 2008, who had the engine rebuilt, polished and detailed. The very rare automatic transmission was completely rebuilt less than 300 miles ago and shifts flawlessly. The original and perfectly tuned 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine runs super smooth and powerful with an amazing and unique exhaust note.

This big cat rolls on Cooper Trendsetter SE radials, size 205/75R15 at all four corners. Each tire is mounted on a steel wheel and topped with full wheel covers. The tires and wheels are all in very good order. The car has drum brakes. The car features independent front suspension with double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and an anti-roll bar. The live rear axle uses a simplified version of the D-Type suspension, with inverted semi-elliptic springs cantilevered into the main body frame

Another recent completion was the custom installation of a Vicarage power steering unit system special ordered from London, England. This specially made for a Mark 1 Jaguar is a rack-and-pinion unit with billet aluminum pulleys. A very costly modification approaching $5,000 with parts and labor but makes for a much more pleasurable driving experience.

The completely original interior is as beautiful as the exterior. The Cinnamon Connolly original saddle leather driver's bench seat does show years of patina but it would be a shame to replace such originality. Original Wilton Wool carpets are woven in the front but are covered by a new set of coco mats. Door panels, headliner and wood trim are all in very good original condition as well. A beautiful custom Moto-Lita wood steering wheel was just installed and the original is included. Custom-made Coco mats were installed for the perfect added class. Along with the sale comes the original owner's manuals, service receipts and Jaguar Magazine printout.

Although having a family resemblance to the larger Mark VII, the Mark I differed in many ways. It was the first Jaguar with unitary construction of body and chassis. The independent front suspension featured double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and an anti-roll bar, all carried in a separate subframe mounted to the body by rubber bushes (with only minor revisions, this system was used on subsequent Jaguar saloons including early versions of the XJ).

The live rear axle used a simplified version of the D-Type suspension, with inverted semi-elliptic springs cantilevered into the main body frame with the rear quarter section carrying the axle and acting as trailing arms. Transverse location was secured by a Panhard rod, the system being a significant improvement over other contemporary Jaguar saloons and sports cars (the reason for the unusual inverted leaf spring arrangement was the same as for the D-Type: to transfer all rear axle loads forward to the unitary body shell. The rear of the car was unstressed).

The rear wheel track was some 4.5 inches narrower than the front track and looked peculiar from behind, a feature that was blamed (probably incorrectly) for excessive understeer at low speed. It was reported to be better balanced at higher speeds - indeed, the narrower track was deemed to assist high speed straight-line stability and was a feature incorporated in many record-breaking cars of pre- and post-war design. Nevertheless, it is probable that the narrower rear track was occasioned by the lack of a suitably dimensioned component from Salisbury, the axle manufacturer.

The interior was of similar design to the contemporary Jaguar saloons and sports cars, with most of the dials and switches being located on the central dashboard between the driver and passenger. This arrangement reduced the differences between LHD and RHD versions.

Although its profile was very different from that of previous Jaguars, the side window surrounds and opening rear “no draught ventilator” (quarterlight) windows are reminiscent of Jaguar Mark IV saloons.

At launch the car had 11.125-inch drum brakes but from the end of 1957 got the innovative (at the time) option of disc brakes on all four wheels.

The car was available in standard or special equipment versions with the former lacking a tachometer, heater (available as an option), windscreen washers, fog lights and cigarette lighter. Both versions did however have leather upholstery and polished walnut trim.

If you are a Jaguar collector, if you like English motorcars or if you're looking for something eclectic, this Jaguar Mark I may be your next vehicle. Visit MotoeXotica Classic Cars today to come listen to this big cat purr.

VIN: S986312BW
EIN: KE3049-8
Body#: E002906
TIN: 11171

This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 17,436 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title.

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