This 1963 Jaguar MkII runs a later 4.2 XK motor and 4-speed pulled from an E-type. The car looks very clean and straight in photos, and the seller says it’s in excellent condition after a recent refurbishment that included new paint, interior, brakes, and more. These are fantastic cars, but hard to find with a manual transmission, good cosmetics, and sorted mechanicals. Find this one here on Craigslist in Orange County, California for $35k or trade for a domestic pick-up.

Dark colors suit MkIIs best, and this one looks very nice in fresh, glossy black paint. Chrome, trim, glass, and lights all seem to be in nice shape, and the seller describes it as a reliable, attractive driver rather than a concours winner—what we like to call the sweet spot. We’d like to see it with some period correct black plates, but overall it’s a good looking car.

The fresh interior looks very well done with nice leather, wood, and switchgear, and is pictured again from a different angle within the ad itself. Properly redoing hides and veneers in an old Jag is prohibitively expensive, and though receipts aren’t mentioned in the write-up we’d be interested to see them if we were considering a purchase—we’re sure it amounts to a sizeable chunk of the total asking price.

Underhood shots aren’t provided, but as the brochure image below illustrates XK’s are nearly as good to look at as they are to listen to. The 4.2 fitted to this car is said to have been rebuild and professionally installed, and should offer a nice, useful increase in power and tractability over the already strong, standard 3.8. The clutch, coolant system and carbs are recent as well.

Overall a nice, fairly priced example provided it isn’t hiding any rot or mechanical/electrical gremlins under the shiny new paint. We wish we had an unused F250 lying around.