2022-01-16 11:00:10 | pauls writes:

Car to be at auction 1/22
angliacarauctions.co.uk/classic/sat-29th-sun-30th-january/1959-jaguar-mki-34-man ...

Auction description:
Sat 29th & Sun 30th January » 1959 Jaguar MKI 3.4 Manual
ex George Formby

Estimate: £30,000 - 50,000
Chassis number: S976920DN

This late Jaguar MkI has quite a story attached to it. Its first owner was a certain George Formby, the much‑loved entertainer of the 1930s and 1940s most famous for his ukulele playing. He bought the Mist Grey with red leather upholstery 3.4‑litre car from Woodhead's Garage in Blackpool during 1959, and transferred his personalised plate, GF2, onto it.

Not long afterwards, on August Bank Holiday 1959, George and wife Beryl were driving along the A47 just past King's Lynn, heading for Great Yarmouth where George was appearing at the Windmill Theatre. At East Winch, an Austin A30 turned right while the Jaguar was overtaking, and the two cars collided. The Formbys were taken to hospital in King's Lynn suffering from shock.

At the subsequent court case, the A30 driver was found guilty of careless driving, with George paying tribute to the Jaguar's stopping abilities, thanks to it having disc brakes on all four wheels. "I hadn't an earthly chance of avoiding him... it's lucky I have a car with terrific braking power," he said of the while giving evidence. However, despite this accolade, it was the end of George's ownership of the MkI. He traded the damaged car in for a new Sherwood Green Jaguar MkIX from Mann Egerton in Norwich. An allowance of £1425 was given for the damaged MkI, which was then repaired and sold on.

The Jaguar was subsequently re‑registered but taken off the road during 1968. However, after a few decades, it was rescued and reunited with its GF2 numberplate in 2002. Its restoration ran to 2500 hours over a period of six months. The current mileage is shown as 71,506 miles.

The car comes with several items of Formby memorabilia including a biography which looks at the East Winch incident in considerable detail, a DVD about George Formby's Norfolk, a pair of sunglasses worn by George in 1949, and George's race card from the Manchester Races Whitsuntide Meeting in May 1958, plus other period items such as a box of Gee's Linctus Pastilles, Ronson lighter accessories, a purse of old coins, and a Jack Powles and Company brochure for Norfolk holiday boat hire.

Documents relating to the Jaguar include an owner's handbook for the similar Mk2, as well as a workshop manual for the MkI.

Although an older restoration, the Jaguar generally in very good order and is the most sought‑after 3.4‑litre manual with overdrive variant. The interior is especially nice, with just light patina to the red leather seats and walnut veneer in very fine order throughout.