Jaguar MK II 240

This Jaguar MK II 240 was delivered on the 13th of February 1969 by Lagerwij Automobiel-Maatschappij from The Hague. The car is an originally Dutch delivered car and has only 4 owners. The Jaguar is in great condition with a very nice exterior and a completely original interior. On top of that the car still has its original warranty booklet, the original maintenance voucher, the original Jaguar distributors guide from 1968 and even two original unused insurance forms from the ‘60s.

The Jaguar looks amazing and is one of the best and most honest Mark II 240’s on the market. It is also very rare since only 730 LHD 240’s were ever produced. The car has been very lovingly maintained and shows it. The 2.4L engine runs very well and the manually shifted 4 speed with overdrive functions as it should. In short, a very nice and original Mark II 240 of which there are very few.

The Jaguar MK II was thought up by director and founder of Jaguar, Sir William Lyons. After the Second World War things were going very well for Jaguar. The XK120 sold very well, especially in the US, and the MK VII sold very nicely as well. There was also a lot of success in racing with multiple wins in the 24 hours of the Le Mans and other races. Despite all this success Sir Lyons decided to completely leave racing in 1957, as it was haemorrhaging money. Money he could use to develop the new E-Type sportscar and to perfect his new ‘small saloon’, the Jaguar MK I 2.4 and 3.4.

The Mark I was presented in 1955 at the London Motorshow. It was significantly smaller than the MK VII and its successor the MK VIII which Jaguar already produced. The idea behind this was to appeal to a new group of younger, less wealthy buyers. For the Mark I the 3.4L engine of the MK VII was given a shorter stroke to reduce it to 2.4L, producing 114 BHP. The most innovative aspect of the Mark I though was its unitary construction of body and chassis. It was also the first Jaguar with a slightly bent windscreen and the first Jaguar with coil springs at the front instead of torsion bars. The MK I was very popular in the US market, but the 2.4L engine was destined as too small. That is why the US-version received the 3.4L engine of the MK VII. Unfortunately the Mark I did have some design flaws. It was difficult to see out of due to the small windows and braking was sub-par especially for the 3.4L engined car. This created a lot of complaints for dealers.

That’s why in 1960 the Mark II was presented. The Mark II offered many solutions for the issues found in the Mark I. The Mark II was given bigger windows with narrower surrounds and it was one of the first ‘normal’ cars to be given disc brakes allround. The was also fitted with a brand new dashboard with lots of wood to give it a much more luxurious feel. The Mark II turned out to be a big success in both Europe and the US. In the US there was so much demand for the Mark II that the car was even fitted with the 3.8L engine of the XK150.

In September of 1967 the 2.4L and the 3.4L received new names, the 240 and the 340. The 3.8L was discontinued. The 240 and the 340 were meant to bridge the gap until the XJ6 would be presented in 1968 and were very much the last and the best examples of the MK II. When the XJ6 was introduced, the 340 was discontinued but the 240 remained as a budget alternative. The engine was slightly spiced up from 120 to 133 BHP and it produced more torque. The back of the car was modified and the car received smaller bumpers. All this work finally gave the MK II 240 a top speed of at least 160 KPH (100 MPH).

The Mark II was very successful for Jaguar in many fields. The Mark II was and still is used frequently for racing and the car has achieved iconic status. This is also the reason it is still used in period films and series. The most iconic of course being Inspector Morse who also drove a Mark II 2.4.