Description

1959 Jaguar Mk IX Saloon

No Reserve

Offered from a deceased estate; stalled restoration; appears to have had engine completely rebuilt; many of the original parts included; huge potential

This Jaguar originally resided in South London. The first owner, we believe being in Croydon, before well known Jaguar and Rover dealers, KJ Motors (enamel badge to the dash), sold it as a secondhand car in 1962 to a Mr Fiveash of Beckenham. It appears that he kept the car for a considerable time until it changed hands again in 1996. After only one more year, the Mk IX changed hands again, where it was going to stay until 2005, when the current registered keeper acquired it. Sadly, he has now passed away and we have had instructions from the solicitors managing the estate to offer it for sale.

Originally dark blue with a grey leather interior, the long term owner from the 60s to the 90s bought it for the princely sum of £580 according to the original bill of sale on file. We can only assume that it was used regularly by him as it appears to show 77,000 miles on the clock and none of that has been done recently.

The car has been registered with a SORN every year since 2005 and more recently, has been stored in a secure garage in the Reading area. It has obviously been considerably worked on over the past decade or so. As can be seen in the photographs, almost the entire interior has been stripped out, boxed and wrapped. Unfortunately, the seats all seem to be missing. We can only assume that they are waiting at a trimmers somewhere and although we have made a number of calls to likely candidates, we have been unable to track them down.

The body has obviously been attended to but not completed, some or the original blue paint is still present, but the wings and other details only primed. The engine bay and exhaust system have had the most work completed. We were pleasantly surprised to open the bonnet and find the gleaming original engine surrounded by brand new parts, all appearing to be professionally fitted. The boot also appears to have been almost completed with smooth hide interior. There are no invoices on file for this work, but we understand Mr Deer was accustomed to similar restorations, including a Bentley Mk VI that he owned at the same time. Having had a great deal of work done, this surely is a great opportunity for someone to take over and become one of the few owners this Mk IX saloon has had over the course of its life.

It may interest bidders to learn that the late owner, Roger Deer, was originally a commercial artist, involved in story boards and other artwork for various projects, but most famously for Star Wars and a few James Bond films. Look him up online and you can find some fascinating drawings by him showing a film crew working on the Millennium Falcon! While this may not add value to the car, it does indicate he had a very keen eye for detail, which is certainly evident under the bonnet.

Further information - toby.service@brightwells.com