Having been to quite a few classic car concours, I have really come to understand the beauty that these cars behold. Now, take the the Jaguar Mark 2 for example; it was one of those iconic cars that made the industry understand and possibly fathom the idea of a fast car with four doors.
The body was aerodynamic and it weighed only 1440 kilograms. That coupled with a 3.8-litre inline-six engine which was capable of churning out 220bhp and took less than 9 seconds to touch the 0-100Km/h mark. All of this in 1959! Compare it to the current crop and it is probably at par with the hottest hatches out there.
You and I would praise these figures and consider it the past. However, if you're Ian Callum, Jaguar's design director, you can take it up as a challenge and put it up to speed with some current technology to better enjoy it as a daily drive. Clearly, he has been successful in achieving this feat as he unveiled a restored Jaguar Mk2. From the outside, it looks restored like any other classic. However, it is the rather subtle changes that make it a different breed altogether.
The car sits 30 mm lower on an adjustable new suspension and rides on 17-inch rim wire wheels, which might not be modern but make you drool all over the car. Of course there are the side fins and a fully redone interior with modern seats, infotainment and audio system.
The engine has been upgraded too. A 4.3-litre XK engine with twin SU carburetors makes its way into the long hood of the restored Mk2. Then there are the heavy chromed bumpers, power steering, upgraded brakes and air conditioning too. It took Callum and Bridgnorth-based specialist Classic Motor Cars a total of 18 months to complete the project, and that speaks volume about the effort that went in to this restoration project.
