There are people who like the shape of the Mk2 but want to drive a modern car. For those, quite a few companies create restomods and change almost everything under the bonnet, inside the car, suspension, brakes – everything but the outside metal.
That is definitely not a classic car anymore and not something I even remotely consider, however, it shows professional craftsmanship and I do appreciate it.
From Extreme…
The New Zealand based company Beachman creates a bespoke Mk2 with a modern V8, replacing suspension, brakes and almost the full interior. From the pictures it is hard to see that this is still a Mk2. It has ABS, electric windows, central locking, cruise control, multi-zone air conditioning, a double wishbone coil suspension, powersteering, virtual instruments, bluetooth audio, 10 speakers plus subwoofer, a rear view camera, even modern assistance systems like emergency braking.
That definitely is a modern car, and I doubt they’d be able to get it road legal in the EU.
… via bold …
And then there’s the Ian Callum Mk2: A variant that the former Jaguar Head of Design built for himself in 2014, and while I won’t call it subtle, it’s a lot less extreme and primarily changes some exterior and interior design elements, making the car look much more modern.
However, for that one-off car, while it still shows the Mk2, almost everything was touched: The track is wider, so it has new front wings, most of the chrome and brightwork was replaced, new engine and suspension and a fully re-done interior.
… to tasteful
And then, here’s another restomod. Described as “The ultimate Jaguar Mk2”, it was built by JD Classics in 2022, and comes much closer to keeping a classic car but improving it where it makes everyday use difficult.
This covers some range of restomods, and they neither of them is getting close to where I want to go. Plans are getting more concrete. More to come soon.
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