Ah, the Mark 2 Jag. What a beautiful piece of automotive history. Launched in the late 1950s and sporting a potent 220 horsepower 3.8-liter straight-six lifted from the E-Type, the Mark 2 was the Subaru Impreza, BMW M3 or Mercedes C 63 AMG of its era.
It's generous power output and driving dynamics were appreciated by the British police and even crooks. A bloke called Paddy used a 3.8-liter Mk2 in the notorious 1963 Great Train Robbery, which is solid proof that the sedan was a very fine breed. But d'you know how you can improve the Mark 2?
No, I'm not talking about restoring one to original specifications, but restomodding it. A restomod is a vintage car that retains the appearance of the original, but boasts with more modern and reliable mechanicals. 18 months in the making, what you can see in the photo above and the video below is one of the best Mark 2 restomods our eyes have ever seen and it's owned by none other than Ian Callum. This guy has penned the Ford RS200, Escort Cosworth, Aston Martin DB9, the F-Type and he's Jaguar's current director of design. So it's needless to say that the man has a thing for timeless auto designs.
And that can also be seen in the CMC Jaguar Mk2 by Ian Callum. We've talked about the thing just a few days ago, including its trick 4.3-liter inline six-cylinder motor churning 260 ponies and 280 lb-ft. But the news this time around is that the people over at Classic Motor Cars Limited (CMC) have decided to put the four-wheel feline into limited production. “The car was only unveiled to the public just over a week ago but has attracted interest from all over the world,” explains Peter Neumark, chairman of Classic Motor Cars.
Ian Callum added: “I redesigned the car and CMC rebuilt it and reengineered it for my personal use. I wasn’t sure how it would be received but I have been both astounded and delighted with the response. I am pleased that a few more cars are going to be built.” CMC says that the limited run of cars will cost between £350,000 and £375,000 and buyers will be offered the opportunity to choose the body and interior colors that they prefer, which is nice when you consider that £350k will buy you a house with four bedrooms in Cheshire.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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