When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
At least, I think it is a jag. It has a very similar steering wheel!
Anyways, while my friend was doing yard work for some lady, he noticed a car with a tree growing through it. He talked to her, she said it was a jag, and that he could have it "if he wanted a car with a tree in it." While at first he thought it was a XK120, he then returned for pictures then thought not. He sent the pictures to me, and I thought it was a E-Type. But, I just have trouble with that, because the door sills aren't quite right, and the bumper, if it is the bumper, isn't the same. Anyways, maybe one of you will know! Thanks!
Alright, thanks everyone, I'm trying to get him to get pictures if he can. A lot of people, and I agree, say it looks more like an Austin Healey, but again, the steering wheel. I guess someone liked their jag too much they had to have a little bit in their car!
Then there is always the mystery of the fact that she thought it was a jag, and this either means it is, or they had a Jag and sold it, OR they still have it somewhere.
That's what I thought too at first, but I do not believe that the C-Type has a door on the drivers side. I'm trying to get him to head over sometime, we are leaning towards the Healey but the mystery of the steering wheel and the owner is still not solved.
The use of Nardi (or Nardi style) steering wheel wasn't uncommon on several UK sports cars of the 60's. The only difference generally being the horn boss.
Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.
I think it could be a 120 or 140 I looked for picks of my old 120 but they are from the front (see my garage). A front view would be helpful. And I agree this might verry well be worth rescuing especially if a magnet will not stick to the body (rare alloy find????)
Hello all . . . and greetings from down under. What an interesting find. I believe there are several clues evident in the pics, but for reasons offered by Graham, I don't believe the steering wheel is one of them. Take a look at (eg) any Aston Martin sports from the 50s and you will see the same wheel but different boss.
[Dleit53] may be correct in comments about a forward hinging bonnet - but an E-Type this certainly is not. That road wheel not only never adorned an E, I believe it is pure 50s. Equally, the bonnet if that is what appears beyond the dash area may well have been unhinged and then thrown back into the general area, leaving it agape at the scuttle.
The bumper bar is full of surprises but, except for style of overriders, is off no production Jaguar I am aware of. The lateral or end profile is most un-Jaguar and I know of no Jaguar model that had nerf bars (is that what they were called). Biggest surprise, but probably irrelevant given those comments, is that with magnification and some PhotoShop magic, I can make out the first 2 characters of the still existing number plate. Your friend might at least supply a detailed close-up if you are interested.
Coming to the dash and cabin area, I can see no remaining evidence of an enclosed cabin, nor even windscreen posts or other fixtures that could have supported a roof. This is, I believe, our firmest hint that this is indeed a sports model of some sort.
The pics give up their final clue as we come to the large, smoothly sculpted rear quarter surrounding and extending way beyond the rear road wheel - looking more like a front wing off an E-Type. Definitely not the shorter shape of production XKs. I feel it's also too long for any of the Austin Healeys also. Putting all this together, I do believe we have a bagful of reasons that show this is not a production Jaguar - nor even the well known C-Type or D-Type, nor XK-SS.
What's left? Well, reeking of the 50s, it could be a sports Lagonda, or Aston Martin as previously stated. That rear quarter panel is long and very graceful - it looks Jaguar - or more to my mind, it looks Malcolm Sayer - who of course was the aerodynamicist behind the C-Type and D-Type. But, despite the fantastic odds against such a possibility, I wonder if this may perhaps be another of his creations - several were developed on Jaguar components - somewhat longer snouts and with even longer rears to compensate, but never adopted by Lyons for Jaguar competition production. Perhaps most famous of these long flowing streamlined Sayer designs was that built to attack the speed records of the day (in the hands of Tommy Sopwith, I think). Better known among some of Sayer's other designs were the Lister Jaguars - and at least one I know of had precisely these enormous but gracefully long flowing hips and rear end.
In outright speed and stability, the Lister Jaguars were reputed to equal the factory cars, but in competition, fell short (as did everyone else) by Jaguar's implementation of disc brakes. Many did fall by the wayside. Is this one? If so, this would be a rare and very valuable find. I guess we serve no further purpose in conjecture when, presumably, your friend may soon be able to supply further pics.
For my final thought . . . I'll allow my brain to hush my heart and say it's none of the above . . . rather, that it's a former sportscar special; built who knows when in good ole hot rod tradition out of very early 50s parts like those disc rather than wire wheels. It may be chock-a-block full of Jaguar parts from Jaguar cars unknown (giving it a personna that the lady owner has clung to) but . . . sadly not a "missing link" Jaguar. And then I look at that rear quarter again, and my heart skips a beat or two . . . . .
Regards,
Ken
There is a large chance of this being a kit car, but who knows, as said below, it may specially made
Originally Posted by StifeJa
I think it could be a 120 or 140 I looked for picks of my old 120 but they are from the front (see my garage). A front view would be helpful. And I agree this might verry well be worth rescuing especially if a magnet will not stick to the body (rare alloy find????)
I never thought of this before, the allow body possibility. My friend did say that he did not see any rust on the body, and I remember him saying that it might be fiberglass. Again, though, who knows, allow is always a possibility for a race car of the era.
Originally Posted by cat_as_trophy
Hello all . . . and greetings from down under. What an interesting find. I believe there are several clues evident in the pics, but for reasons offered by Graham, I don't believe the steering wheel is one of them. Take a look at (eg) any Aston Martin sports from the 50s and you will see the same wheel but different boss.
[Dleit53] may be correct in comments about a forward hinging bonnet - but an E-Type this certainly is not. That road wheel not only never adorned an E, I believe it is pure 50s. Equally, the bonnet if that is what appears beyond the dash area may well have been unhinged and then thrown back into the general area, leaving it agape at the scuttle.
The bumper bar is full of surprises but, except for style of overriders, is off no production Jaguar I am aware of. The lateral or end profile is most un-Jaguar and I know of no Jaguar model that had nerf bars (is that what they were called). Biggest surprise, but probably irrelevant given those comments, is that with magnification and some PhotoShop magic, I can make out the first 2 characters of the still existing number plate. Your friend might at least supply a detailed close-up if you are interested.
Coming to the dash and cabin area, I can see no remaining evidence of an enclosed cabin, nor even windscreen posts or other fixtures that could have supported a roof. This is, I believe, our firmest hint that this is indeed a sports model of some sort.
The pics give up their final clue as we come to the large, smoothly sculpted rear quarter surrounding and extending way beyond the rear road wheel - looking more like a front wing off an E-Type. Definitely not the shorter shape of production XKs. I feel it's also too long for any of the Austin Healeys also. Putting all this together, I do believe we have a bagful of reasons that show this is not a production Jaguar - nor even the well known C-Type or D-Type, nor XK-SS.
What's left? Well, reeking of the 50s, it could be a sports Lagonda, or Aston Martin as previously stated. That rear quarter panel is long and very graceful - it looks Jaguar - or more to my mind, it looks Malcolm Sayer - who of course was the aerodynamicist behind the C-Type and D-Type. But, despite the fantastic odds against such a possibility, I wonder if this may perhaps be another of his creations - several were developed on Jaguar components - somewhat longer snouts and with even longer rears to compensate, but never adopted by Lyons for Jaguar competition production. Perhaps most famous of these long flowing streamlined Sayer designs was that built to attack the speed records of the day (in the hands of Tommy Sopwith, I think). Better known among some of Sayer's other designs were the Lister Jaguars - and at least one I know of had precisely these enormous but gracefully long flowing hips and rear end.
In outright speed and stability, the Lister Jaguars were reputed to equal the factory cars, but in competition, fell short (as did everyone else) by Jaguar's implementation of disc brakes. Many did fall by the wayside. Is this one? If so, this would be a rare and very valuable find. I guess we serve no further purpose in conjecture when, presumably, your friend may soon be able to supply further pics.
For my final thought . . . I'll allow my brain to hush my heart and say it's none of the above . . . rather, that it's a former sportscar special; built who knows when in good ole hot rod tradition out of very early 50s parts like those disc rather than wire wheels. It may be chock-a-block full of Jaguar parts from Jaguar cars unknown (giving it a personna that the lady owner has clung to) but . . . sadly not a "missing link" Jaguar. And then I look at that rear quarter again, and my heart skips a beat or two . . . . .
Regards,
Ken
Wow,very informative! Thank you! I really hope to get more pictures soon, I may just do a cold call and see if I can get more pictures. She just wants to give it away to them, but nothing ever came of that... Also, I agree that there was no previous roof, mainly because of the boxes in the door frames for structure support, more proof that this is most likely either a special built car or a very high quality kit.
EDIT: While scanning over the pictures again for the thousandth time I found more proof it is some Jag variant and not a Austin Healey, unless its a Healey with a heart of a Jag. I just noticed you can barely, barely, see the ending under the hood. It appears to be a twin cam, with the exhaust on the drivers side, looks like the XK6 engine to me. Huh.
Thanks to all that have helped, or at least attempted with these blurry pictures! I promise more soon!
-Tanner
Last edited by StinsonTanner; 10-09-2014 at 09:24 AM.
Also, here are some more details point out that I just found:
1:Gas cap, very faint but it is there, I finally just found it
2oor, on other side of car. At least one door, anyways
3:Mystery Hinge?
4:Traced outline of the "twincam" or at least that's what it looks like to me, with the exhaust as well.
5:Mystery support brace???
6:Mystery panel? Could it be possible this was a custom panel made to cover the passenger side compartment? It is too round for a door.
7.Trees, in case you didn't see them
Having owned one of these 45+ years ago I'm leaning toward a 1955-62 MGA 1600 twin cam.
The bumper in the picture is a dead ringer for an MGA front bumper with over-rider. The rear fender line although indistinct in the poorly focused has the long flowing lines with the slight run back from the door before it begins its upward sweep. Here are a couple of links that show what I'm talking about.
This is a 1600 twin cam motor being started for the first time after restoration. There are many other pics but this clearly shows a definite splayed look to the inline four cylinder that would give the impression of some sort of larger V engine http://hmongplus.com/LWRDbm1DR0s1ZE0z
Alright, my friend revisited and got some more pictures, just to add to the confusion!
Let's see if I can get the order right:
1: Front end. Definitely not Jaguar or Austin Healey. Triumph? Anyways, also if you look in the top right corner you can see the fiberglass hood scoop.
2: XK6 engine for sure. Not sure on year, but definitely Jag. You can also see the frame I was talking about, the tubing at the seam of the hood
3/4: Clearer shots of rear and side
5/6: Volv0 P544 just sitting upsidedown...
7: Badge!
The car is still a mystery, but it is MOST DEFINETLY a Franken-car
09-16-2013, 12:04 AM
Help Identify this Jag(?)
oor, on other side of car. At least one door, anyways
