1968 Jaguar 340

This Jaguar 340 was purchased by the London and Edinburgh Life Insurance Company Ltd as a new car for use by Mr. Broom in his capacity as a director of that company.

When Mr. Broom retired in 1971 he bought the car from the company for the princely sum of £310.00. 

Upon his death in 1994, the car passed to Mr. Broom’s niece and remained with her until, we believe, 1999.

There is a written account of this, by Mr. Broom’s niece, which states that the mileage then was genuine and that Mr. Broom was a highly conscientious and diligent curator of this car, which he clearly cherished.

Today, the mileage is 90,901 miles. 

In 2015 it was 88,000.

The current vendor, who is well-known to us, is a serial collector of rare and interesting classic cars - and a man whose current mission to rationalise his collection is the reason for its sale today.

The bodywork is pretty straight and true, and there are no dimples, dinks or dents of any real consequence that we can see. 

The shut-lines and panel gaps are decent for the most part, although the bonnet doesn’t close properly. 

The dark silver/grey paintwork is something of a curate’s egg, being good in parts, less so in others, and pretty poor here and there.

There is bubbling atop both front wings, in the sills on both sides, around both front wheel-arches, all along the front valance and in a couple of places on both front doors.

The paint on the roof is showing some micro-blistering, and there’s some rust on the lower lip of the boot lid recess, with patches of discoloured paint beneath it.

The chrome-work is mostly good, save for a little tarnishing and foxing on the front over-riders and some pitting around the rear number plate.

The black wire wheels look to be in good order and the non-matching (Vredstein at the front, Kumho at the rear) tyres seem to have plenty of life left in them.

Some of the exterior rubber trim has cracked and perished in places.

In terms of overall condition and preservation the interior is pretty much a match for its exterior counterpart, at least inasmuch as it’s a mixture of good and not-so-good. 

The red leather upholstery is broadly OK and more than serviceable, with the clear exception of the driver’s seat back-rest, which has a large split in the bolster.

There’s a much smaller split, and signs of a previous repair attempt, at the edge of the rear bench seat squab.

When you open the rear doors you’ll see rust and flaking visible around the kick plates and atop the sills.

The door card trim is baggy at the rear and the driver’s door card is detached and split in places. 

The trim is loose and hanging down under the glove compartment.

The headlining looks a little grubby and the sun visor fabric is tired and looking a little mildewed in places.

The wood is pretty decent, although some of the lacquer has worn away on the rear door cappings and the veneers are cracked and lifting on the ‘A’ pillars.

The gear lever and handbrake look good, as do the other dials and instruments.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told. 

The boot, which contains a spare wheel and what looks like the original tool-kit, is grubby but intact. 

The car starts and runs although it is reluctant to idle even when warm (there is a yellow switch that’s the electric choke) but we haven’t had the opportunity to drive it.

The engine bay looks clean and tidy, with everything seemingly in its right and proper place. 

The car’s undersides appear to be possessed of a decent amount of structural integrity but there is some rust in evidence in several places and you’ll want to take a look for yourself and reach your own conclusions. 

The car comes with a great deal of paperwork covering, mainly, work carried out in years gone by. 

There is a recent (2023) receipt for a service and some remedial mechanical work – hence our belief that only a light recommissioning is required.

It comes with a clear HPI report, a V5, and a copy of the manual and owner’s guide. 

These were fairly rare cars to start with and they’re only getting rarer.

Yes, there are a few bodywork issues to contend with but, other than those and the need for some light mechanical recommissioning, this seems to us to be a car with the potential for a promising future and, as the big, fat history file attests, an interesting and well-documented past.

There’s plenty here to like.

We’re confident to offer this fine car for auction with an estimate of £12,000 - £16,000. 

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am- 12pm or 2pm-4pm. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.