When David Horlington wanted an easier-to-own Mk2, he bought a 1966 example with a modern V8, electric windows and later seats but that was just the beginning of the story
THANKS TO their history, characterand traditional charm, there’s no denying classic cars can be great fun to drive. But by being oldfashioned, they’re not always the easiest to live with in the modern world yet too many updates can also ruin their personality.
This was the conundrum facing David Horlington when he was considering buying a classic Jaguar. Describing himself as a lover of the marque, he’s previously owned three Mk2 3.8s, a “sluggish” 420 and three XJ6s. But now in his 70s, David wanted a car that was modified just enough to make it easier for him to drive.
After seeing one displayed at Goodwood Revival during a visit to the UK a few years ago, he did briefly consider a Mk2 by Beacham, the New Zealand-based specialist that fits modern Jaguar V8s to Mk2s, but the high price put him off. “But when I look back on it now, I would have been better off if I’d bought one,” he admits.
In 2021, an online advert for a 1966 Mk2 in Mulberry Red for sale through a Dutch dealer caught his eye since it had already been fitted with air conditioning, electric windows, later seats and more importantly, a low mileage 4.0-litre V8 from a P38A generation of Range Rover. When I contacted the Dutch dealer about the car, they could give me no details on its history other than it was modified in the Nineties by the Roadster Group, a now defunct company based in Soesterberg, a few miles outside Utrecht, that specialised in updating Jaguar Mk2s.
“In 1959, Jaguar Cars Ltd designed an alltime classic,” says one of the Dutch firm’s old brochures. “In 1995, we have brought it close to perfection. With state of the art technology, comfort and safety.”
“I thought that would be trouble-free,” David tells me over the phone from his home in Naples, Florida, “so I bought it.” He did so unseen, a decision he now describes as “foolish” because after the car had been delivered to America, it wouldn’t start, even needing a tow to get it off the trailer outside his house.
Following an inspection by his local garage, David was informed the V8 conversion had been done so badly he shouldn’t drive it too far from home. And so after being recommended the British specialist JD Classics by a friend due to the high quality of its work,
