I'm looking at buying a Mk2 manufactured in 1962. The first registration date as per the DVLA is 1962 then there's a big gap until 2018 when it was next registered - so no records or history for nearly 50 years. Having spoken to the DVLA, they tell me that their system changed in 1984 and if there had been no activity re a vehicles registration at that point in time, the records for that vehicle would be deleted. In this case it could have been taken off the road before 1984 and eventually restored and re-registered in 2018. Is this feasable ? Is there anyway of building a history for a car without DVLA records
There has been a recorded change in colour and some photographic evidence of restoration. Do these issues have an impact on a cars valuation. It has matching numbers and there is a JDHT certificate.

 

As far as I am aware the only way to work out the history of a car is to talk to the previous owners. If there is paper work with the car ie receipts, old MOTs, TAX discs or details of previous owners it all helps but there is no register that holds the history or previous owners of the cars.
The valuation of the car is down to the buyer. If you think it is worth what is asked then that is its value. Does not matter what other people think nor how much the seller thinks it is worth.
Colour change is only an issue if it has been done badly. To change the colour of a car every panel inside and out has to be colour changed. No good having a white car if you open the doors, boot or bonnet or look under the carpets and find the old colour is showing.
Matching numbers is more of an American thing but it is nice to have the same numbers on the VIN plate as are on the engine and gearbox.
When buying any old Jaguar condition is key. Check for rust in all the right places and unless you have deep pockets walk away if you find any. Scratch the surface rust and underneath the rust worms will have been having a field day. Photos of the restoration are good but I once went to see a Mk2 for a friend and photos of the restoration were shown to us even though the car was showing rust. On the back of one of the photos was the date. It turned out to be a 12 year old restoration which had been done badly and needed doing again.
A good rule of thumb is to buy a car that someone else has just restored and now wants to sell as they have another project waiting in the garage. No one expects, well not everyone expects to get back what they have spent on a restoration as normally the amount they have spent exceeds the value of the car. Not even the wife knows how much they have spent.

 

More of a thing for domestic American cars. For judging at a concours show under the Jaguar Clubs of North America rules the numbers are not looked at. All that matters is the correct type of engine for the car is present - and it must be a Jaguar engine, even in the modified classes. A car with a non-Jaguar engine is not eligible for entry.

To the OP's question, I don't think the lack of history would affect the value much, if at all. I determine the value of a car by looking at it's condition, not by looking at a stack of paper. I think the only place the previous ownership becomes important is if there is a claim someone famous/important owned the car, then that would need to be documented. Say it was an ex-Royal Household car, that would need to be documented.

 

I've looked up the info on my Mk2 at DVLA and it amounts to zero though I know it completely. Under MoT history, they have the date of manufacture in place of the date of registration (which they list correctly under general history). I wouldn't worry about DVLA records. There are more important questions. What are the door gaps like? Is the door waistline level with the B and C posts? Is there a nice smooth line from the sills into the front wings? How is the engine ... ?

Incidentally, in spite of the obvious info they do have, DVLA will most likely want a Heritage Certificate to register the car as historic.