Miss Kitty - 1965 Jaguar S-Type 3.8 RHD
Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 5:15 pm
The below post was from November 18, 2014. It is in the archive forum. I thought I would repost here so I can provide updates to Miss Kitty's transformation. Sorry I have been so quiet.....one hell of a project.
When I go to car shows, all I see are Mustangs, Corvettes, Hemi's, Chevys, etc.. I wanted something unique and special. This Summer, I purchased a 1997 Jaguar VDP and it is now my daily driver and I love the drive. When I was stationed on Okinawa in 1987, my daily driver was a RHD Toyota Corolla. I fell in love with the RHD. I tried to export the Toyota to the U.S., but all of the glass and tires would have needed to be changed to DOT approved glass and tires. Tooooo expensive. Almost 25 years later, I found a 1965 Jaguar 3.8S Manual w/OD and RHD advertised on Hemmings. Well, that was it and I was on my way to Wilmington, NC.
The Jag was imported to the U. S. in 1987. It was first manufactured on May 5, 1965 and was dispatched on May 14, 1965 to Henleys, London. The car was sold to Murtile, LTD, an investment company. It's original Registration Mark was EYT 81 C. The Chassis Number is: 1B 54554 DN and its original color was Opalescence Dark Green with Suede Green interior.
The owner parked it in his garage and it basically sat for 27 years. He only drove the car 311 miles in the past 19 years. The car had only 31,826 original miles. Surprisingly, the car started, but soon stalled after a few seconds. We agreed on a price and I rented a U-Haul transport and I was on my way home with my "Miss Kitty." Then, in central Tennessee, my Dodge Durango's engine blew and I had to towed back to Missouri. The price of Miss Kitty just skyrocketed.
Both cars were towed to my happy mechanic and he replaced the Durango's engine with a rebuilt one and was able to get Miss Kitty running using lots and lots of Seafoam. The points, plugs, condenser, filters, and fluids were replaced and I drove my Miss Kitty home last week. What a drive. It was in the 20's so Miss Kitty went right into her climate controlled garage. Should have taken some better pictures. Most of the seats are out and being oiled up. The rugs and felt are out and the floor pan is in excellent condition. Ten pieces of wood have been removed and tagged. The trunk only has only a couple of rust spots. The underbelly has only surface rust. My happy mechanic and body man did their inspections and are putting together their estimates and work plan. Hopefully, if I can sell my bass boat, Miss Kitty may be on her way to restoration and future car shows. Hope to restore her to an original state; however, part availability will ultimately rule in that decision.
Here are pictures of Miss Kitty when she finally made it to Missouri and was parked in my mechanics garage. Click on the link below:
http://x.co/5rCFP
When I go to car shows, all I see are Mustangs, Corvettes, Hemi's, Chevys, etc.. I wanted something unique and special. This Summer, I purchased a 1997 Jaguar VDP and it is now my daily driver and I love the drive. When I was stationed on Okinawa in 1987, my daily driver was a RHD Toyota Corolla. I fell in love with the RHD. I tried to export the Toyota to the U.S., but all of the glass and tires would have needed to be changed to DOT approved glass and tires. Tooooo expensive. Almost 25 years later, I found a 1965 Jaguar 3.8S Manual w/OD and RHD advertised on Hemmings. Well, that was it and I was on my way to Wilmington, NC.
The Jag was imported to the U. S. in 1987. It was first manufactured on May 5, 1965 and was dispatched on May 14, 1965 to Henleys, London. The car was sold to Murtile, LTD, an investment company. It's original Registration Mark was EYT 81 C. The Chassis Number is: 1B 54554 DN and its original color was Opalescence Dark Green with Suede Green interior.
The owner parked it in his garage and it basically sat for 27 years. He only drove the car 311 miles in the past 19 years. The car had only 31,826 original miles. Surprisingly, the car started, but soon stalled after a few seconds. We agreed on a price and I rented a U-Haul transport and I was on my way home with my "Miss Kitty." Then, in central Tennessee, my Dodge Durango's engine blew and I had to towed back to Missouri. The price of Miss Kitty just skyrocketed.
Both cars were towed to my happy mechanic and he replaced the Durango's engine with a rebuilt one and was able to get Miss Kitty running using lots and lots of Seafoam. The points, plugs, condenser, filters, and fluids were replaced and I drove my Miss Kitty home last week. What a drive. It was in the 20's so Miss Kitty went right into her climate controlled garage. Should have taken some better pictures. Most of the seats are out and being oiled up. The rugs and felt are out and the floor pan is in excellent condition. Ten pieces of wood have been removed and tagged. The trunk only has only a couple of rust spots. The underbelly has only surface rust. My happy mechanic and body man did their inspections and are putting together their estimates and work plan. Hopefully, if I can sell my bass boat, Miss Kitty may be on her way to restoration and future car shows. Hope to restore her to an original state; however, part availability will ultimately rule in that decision.
Here are pictures of Miss Kitty when she finally made it to Missouri and was parked in my mechanics garage. Click on the link below:
http://x.co/5rCFP