1963 Jaguar Mk X

The seller has owned this rather lovely Jaguar MK10 since May 2010, which would be remarkable in its own right – but then you discover that his father bought it from Imperial Motors (Cheltenham) in 1964, making it a true one-family-owner-from-new example.

And there’s more.

Because his father only used it for about six years and 22,000 miles before he put it into storage, never to be driven again. Our seller inherited it and decided to recommission it 15 years ago with the aim of bringing it back to a condition that would enable him to use it every day.

This cost him £40,000 but he then proceeded to use ‘59 KAX’ on a regular basis, including – and this makes our point about gangsters in the introduction even more poignant – allowing it to be used for the film Code of Silence about Nipper Read’s quest to arrest the most famous gangsters of them all, the Kray twins.

Still finished in its original colours of Opalescent Maroon with a Beige leather interior, he isn’t using as much as he was, leading him to conclude the time is right to let it go.

And to help it find an owner who has, perhaps, more enthusiasm than cash in the bank, he’s offering it with no reserve, so it’ll be going to a new home no matter what.

The recommissioning included a respray, and fifteen years later that finish has become flat in places. It also has areas of ‘orange peel’ and some sanding marks. 

Despite this – and Our Man does have an unusually critical eye – it presents very well overall and a professional machine polish would probably lift it nicely, leaving only a gentle patina behind.

As you can see, the Opalescent Maroon paintwork also lends the car real elegance in addition to the MK 10’s usual presence; no wonder it ended up starring on the Silver Screen.

The panels are free of dents and ripples, and the swagelines demonstrate  impressive alignment and are also free of the sort of dinks you might expect to see on a car as wide as this. 

All the doors open and close smoothly too, and latch like the aristocrats they are.

The lamp lenses are all in good order with not so much as light hazing much less anything more serious like cracks and chips – and, with the exception of the nearside outer headlamp, they’re all genuine Lucas items too, which is another pleasing detail.

Another is the windscreen, which still features a period sticker boasting its status as a genuine Triplex “for your increased safety” as well as a reproduction tax disc dated 1964. The side and rear glazing is also in good shape, although the rubber seals have cracked and hardened with age.

The chromework presents well, and while the front and rear bumpers have a little more pitting than the rest, a good polish with Autosol might work surprisingly well in reviving them.

While we’re on the subject of brightwork, isn’t it lovely to see a set of full-width panted and chromed hubcaps? So much more elegant to our eyes than the current fad for comically-large alloy wheels, these also happen to be in a very good condition.

The steel wheels are also fitted with a matching set of 205VR14 Michelin XWX tyres. At just over a decade old, these might be getting on a bit now but they still all have plenty of tread. 

Plus, as we will never get tired of telling you, experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. 

The Jag has picked up some blemishes over the years including a scratch in the middle of the nearside front door, more scratches to the bottom of the nearside rear door, and another above the nearside rear wheelarch. 

The offside rear wing has a chip below the bumper and scratches near the boot lid and above the wheelarch, and the offside front wing is also scratched. 

The sunvisors provide a glimpse into the care with which the Jaguar was restored; new ones weren’t available, so the seller commissioned a new pair – at a cost of £288. 

In 2012, which would be nigh-on £450 today. 

For sunvisors.

You can see how easily a £40,000 bill can be run up, can’t you?

There is a little work to so – but only a little: While the red lambswool overmats are excellent the beige carpets below them are a bit moth-eaten.

Pretty much everything else is still excellent, but then Jaguar built it with luxury and longevity in mind. 

For example, the internal window frames are beautifully-honed chunks of real wood; the window latches are sturdily designed and coated in a generous layer of chrome; the door cards are trimmed in real hide; and the door pull also acts as a generously padded armrest.

The front seat passenger gets a voluminous glovebox in which to store their travel possessions, while those in the rear get huge legroom in addition to a fold-down burr walnut picnic table apiece, which opens to reveal a cunningly concealed vanity mirror. A beautifully designed ashtray is also fitted above it.

In line with Jaguar’s sporting tradition the driver has access to a full suite of instruments and a row of toggle switches fitted to a full-width burr walnut dashboard.

The seats are so wide that the MK10 still holds the record as having the widest back seat of any British car – and you can fit three-abreast in the front. 

Plump and soft, while the emphasis has clearly been placed on comfort rather than lateral support, they’re still all-day comfortable, something the fold-down central armrests – one apiece, of course – helps.

The seats have become a bit creased over the years but they shouldn’t need anything more than regular cleaning and feeding. 

The headlining is clean, taut, and free of damage.

The radio might look Old School it is actually a cunningly disguised modern digital jobbie that plays through equally gorgeous chrome-trimmed speakers – and the thingy in the windscreen that looks like a tiny demister element is actually the aerial for the digital radio.

If you’re a gangster with a body to shift you will appreciate the huge boot; everyone else will welcome luggage space for four as well as a comprehensive tool kit plus a spare wheel fitted with a new Blockley tyre.

(A second new-and-unused tyre also forms part of the listing, alongside a few spares. Please see the photo for details of what is included.)

Apart from the carpets, the lacquer on the veneer is starting to show its age but we think that’s a job that could be deferred for another decade or two. The offside rear door card is also wrinkled, but so slightly that only the ultra-fastidious among would find the need to rectify it.

The recommissioning included rebuilding the engine, so they took the obvious (but expensive) opportunity to respray the engine bay while it was out. 

The gearbox was also serviced with fresh oil and the perishable items replaced. 

The heater matrix was replaced, and the suspension removed, checked, and stove-enamelled before being refitted with new adjustable Monroe dampers. 

The rear axle was removed and overhauled, and as part of the seller’s quest to turn it into a car he could use every day, the differential was swapped for one that dropped the revs at motorway speeds. 

In the same spirit, the brake calipers were replaced with four-pot versions for extra stopping power and electronic fuel pumps were fitted to feed the trio of rebuilt carburettors. 

A stainless-steel exhaust meant he wouldn’t have to worry about fitting a new one for a very long time, and new tyres were fitted all around.

As you’d expect, they also removed what little rust there was before Waxoyling it for peace of mind, even though he ended up only using it to commute during the summer months.

More recent work includes a new battery.

The last invoice for routine maintenance is from 2016. However, the seller assures us that the friend who MoTs the car every year carries out an oil service at the same time as a favour.

As you can see and hear in the video, the straight-six engine starts very well, even from cold. It also revs with the straight-six’s customary smoothness and idles quietly and evenly. 

The carefully aligned twin tailpipes also have a pleasing note, and the stainless-steel construction means the exhaust system should continue to make epic noises for a long while yet.

The engine bay is in an excellent condition thanks to the respray we mentioned earlier followed by 15 years of conscientious curation.

Moving underneath, there is evidence of the oil leak the last MoT picked up. 

More importantly, it has been neatly protected with underseal and appears to be solid; as you can see for yourselves, no tester has ever felt the need to write the words “structural corrosion”.

Because, despite not needing one, the Jaguar does hold an MoT certificate – and it’s a long one that doesn’t expire until July 2027.

However, there were two advisories: One for an “oil leak, but not excessive”; and another for slight free play in the steering box. 

That’s not bad at all, is it?

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear, and it comes with three sets of keys.

Its history file includes the original sales invoice from Imperial Motors (Cheltenham) for £2,226, which would be about £40,000 today.

*sigh*

It also contains its original logbook, the original and virtually unmarked book pack, a Production Record Trace Certificate from the Jaguar Heritage Trust, a V5C Registration Certificate in the seller’s name that shows just one former keeper, a thick wad of expired MoT certificates going back to 1972, half-a-dozen tax discs including one from 1969, period photos, and invoices for servicing and similar over the years.

It was also featured in Classic Cars magazine, not once but twice, in issues 570 and 573.

The Jaguar MKX/MK10 is always an appealing prospect but this example’s one-family-from-new status allied to a £40,000 recommissioning makes it especially so. 

And that’s without taking the modest guide price of between £18,000 and £23,000 into account – and when you learn it is also being offered with no reserve, the case for putting this one in your garage becomes irresistible. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.