"Synonymous with the swinging 60s and the hit TV Series Inspector Morse, the Mk. II was undoubtedly the most admired saloon to emanate from Jaguar's hallowed Browns Lane factory. Featuring notably slimmer roof pillars than its Mk. I predecessor, the immortal Mk. II was as airy on the inside as it was elegant on the outside. The interior was quintessentially British with its sumptuous leather-covered seats, polished wood facia and door cappings, extensive instrumentation and impressive row of auxiliary toggle switches. These cars punched well above their weight. Equipped with either a 3.4 or 3.8 litre engine, the Jaguar was capable of sprinting to 60mph in as little as 8.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 125mph, small wonder that it was the first choice of both bank robbers and the police of the period! The Jaguar 240 and 340 were introduced in 1967 and were produced until 1969, before the Mk. II was discontinued and a completely new model was introduced, the XJ6. The shell was the same but the automatic gearbox was upgraded. And finally, always a tell-tale sign smaller thinner bumpers were fitted.
The Jaguar 340 we have here is far from a standard car, our vendor set out to build this ultimate Jaguar Mk. II around eight years ago with a truly ‘money no object’ approach. The aim was to build a tastefully modified car with modern improvements and a focus on modern day use with the option to perform some spirited driving, when the time was right. The total build cost was around £40,000 at the time, which of course would be a significantly higher figure today and makes this a very hard car to replicate. The original 3.4-litre engine has been replaced with a 3.8-litre unit, fitted with straight port E-type cylinder head, 300 degree duration camshafts, twin HD8 carburettors, six branch stainless steel exhaust manifold, electronic ignition, high flow oil pump, high torque starter motor and 10” clutch with lightened flywheel. In all, the engine is said to perform exceedingly well and our vendor felt it was the perfect specification for road use, offering excellent torque and peak power. The gearbox is five-speed Getrag 265 unit with 3.31:1 diff ratio, again a wonderful setup for modern day road use. Stopping power comes in the form of four pot E-type front calipers with ventilated disc brakes, the rear brakes are uprated with two pot XJ6 rear calipers. Power assisted rack and pinion steering has been fitted, giving much better steering feel and useability. Last but not least, an uprated alternator has been fitted with aluminium pulleys to keep everything in check.
The metallic grey bodywork presents in excellent order with fantastic shut lines and straight panels. Jaguar Mk. II larger chrome bumpers have been fitted, making the car virtually identical to an earlier Mk. II visually. Moving inside, the cabin has been trimmed in beautiful high quality red leather, presenting in superb order and walnut veneer throughout. The car has only covered around 3,000 miles since being completed and is now available for a fraction of the build cost alone. It is ideal for those who want a Jaguar Mk. II to drive and enjoy without the limitations of 1960’s engineering, which can hold these cars back somewhat in standard form.
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