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A unique Jaguar Mk X owned by company founder Sir William Lyons is to be sold at Silverstone Auctions’ Salon Privé Sale in September.
Built in December 1961, the car was delivered to Sir William in January 1962 and registered to his Wappenbury Hall address in Warwickshire.
Not just any ordinary Jaguar, this Mk X was one of the very first “Zenith” cars produced and made specifically for Sir William to use as his daily driver and finished to his very personal and exact specification.
Synonymous with his reputation, he clearly demanded only the very best and the top of the range car houses a 3.8 litre, 6-cylinder engine, which could have whisked him along Warwickshire’s roads at speeds of up to 120 mph – impressive for Britain’s widest ever production saloon.
Inside, the interior is trimmed out in luxurious leather, with carpeted foot wells and walnut woodwork throughout.
Extra features added at Sir William’s request include walnut rear picnic tables, complete with angled mirrors allegedly installed to allow lady passengers to adjust their makeup.
He also requested electric rear windows, which was not the norm at the time, allowing him to enjoy a cigarette when riding in the back seat, which his wife did not approve of.
Sir William, also known as “Mr Jaguar”, used the car for three and half years before it was sold to the Cheltenham Motor Jaguar dealership. It was then purchased by a local gentleman in 1968 who owned the car until he died in 2012, after which it was acquired by its fourth owner.
The current owner purchased the car in 2014 and then decided to subject it to a long term, comprehensive restoration to near concours standard, carried out by Jaguar specialists under his supervision.
The car was then transferred to the Jaguar Heritage facility in Coventry for final checks and sourcing of minor parts.
The Mk X is finished in its original colour of Opalescent Dark Green with beige leather interior, and still bears its original Coventry number plate, 7868 RW. The odometer shows just over 71,300 miles, covered over the last 55 years between five owners.
It will be sold at Silverstone Auctions’ most prestigious sale of the year at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, on September 2-3 for an estimated £75,000-£100,000.
