1957 Jaguar MkI 3.4-Litre Competition Car - Ex-Les Ely

While officially never called ‘MkI’, this 1950s Jaguar model spearheaded the iconic British company into the ever-growing small luxury car market at the time. In production between 1955 – 1959, these sporting saloons were officially entitled the 'Jaguar 2.4 Litre' and '3.4-Litre', not Jaguar’s finest model naming, however this didn’t stop the later affectionately named MkI, from becoming a piece of influential engineering that helped shape the company’s future.

Factory-supplied with the bulletproof 2.4-litre XK120’s twin-cam straight SIX, providing 112bhp, an impressive figure of the time, Jaguar introduced a more powerful version in 1957, the 3.4-Litre  boosting performance to a sporty 210bhp, pushing the 0-60 from 11.2 seconds to a spritely 9.1 seconds. These powerful 3.4 saloons quickly became prime contenders for circuit racing.

A natural track car, the MkI came to dominate saloon car racing at the time, competing successfully in countless rallies, touring car championships and club saloon racing, attracting notable masters behind the wheel including Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn, Tommy Sopwith and Roy Salvadori.

This highly successful and very well-known 1958 Jaguar MkI Competition Car was built and driven successfully by the late Les Ely, a very experienced classic car racer, closely associated with the Jaguar fraternity as a driver and engineer. It's an original UK-supplied, right-hand drive car, finished in the wonderful colour combination of Maroon with a red leather interior, it really looks the part. The car is beautifully built and prepared and subject obviously to pre-season fettling, spanner checks etc. is all but track-ready with the 3.4-litre XK engine producing a proven 273bhp and the interior being modified in true race car fashion with the addition of bucket seats, roll cage, fire extinguisher, safety equipment and various weight-saving measures.

Our vendor purchased the car a few years ago with the intention of going historic racing, but after a couple of track-days and a few nerve-racking moments, he realised that racing wasn’t going to be for him and so the car is set to find its next home. We understand, but interested parties should make their own enquiries, that the car is eligible for a plethora of races across Europe, having previously raced at Goodwood Members Meeting in the Sopwith Cup, including the Mike Hawthorn Jaguar Challenge Series and other prestigious events such as the Goodwood Revival, Spa and the Le Mans Classic.

This is a well-built, professionally prepared, competitive MkI racer and would make a great entry into the friendly world of Classic Saloon Car racing.