Car & Classic Finds the Rustiest Jag in the World
It’s a fantastic car, but is it worth restoring?Â
By now, you’ve almost certainly seen at least one serious car restoration video in which a mechanic or auto enthusiast takes a junkyard find and makes it look and run like new. The car with the most wear possible would make for the most satisfying restoration video, right? Are there finds that are just too far gone?
In a video posted last month, the host of the Car & Classic YouTube channel, Chris Pollitt, along with Johnny Smith of CarPervert, makes a pretty incredible find. The two travel to a farm that has become a sort of graveyard of classic cars where they discover a Jaguar Mark IX that is possibly the rustiest in the world — to the point where the vehicle is probably more rust than metal.
Rescuing the World’s Rustiest Jaguar
According to Pollitt, the Jag sat derelict for 43 years, and it absolutely looks like it’s been left out in a field for four decades.
The body of the car, which is partially buried, is so rust-eaten that it is falling to pieces. The video is nearly 40 minutes long and almost feels like a professional TV episode. It mostly consists of the hosts picking over the vehicle and attempting to relocate it, but manages to be entertaining the entire time. While the car is recovered by the end, it’s not done without serious difficulty.
Along with the Jag, the pair also inspect a few other cars — including a 4×4 Calibra and Citroen GS, which our hosts inspect in a follow-up video. Like the Mark IX, these cars are in pretty sorry shape. They’re covered by plant life and show some wear from their time out in the open. None of them look as bad as the Jag, though, which is a mess.
Is This Jaguar Worth Restoring?
Theoretically, it would be possible to restore the Jaguar. However, the Jag is in such a state that it would be a massive undertaking.
While removing surface rust isn’t too difficult of a repair project, the kind here is less surface and more structural. At this point, there is almost certainly more rust than car, and little of the body seems salvageable. A full repair would likely mean finding a replacement for the majority — and probably all — of the Mark IX’s body. You’d also need to swap in a new windshield, floors and seats. Only the chassis, engine and possibly a handful of interior components may be salvageable.
The fact that the chassis is still in one piece, however, does make restoration a possibility — so long as you’re willing to rebody the whole vehicle.
In any case, Pollitt seems more interested in the salvageable parts than a restoration. In a voice-over toward the end of the video, he explains that he plans on finding a home for the Jag’s chassis and engine, but shows little interest in the other parts of the car. That’s a little sad, because it certainly would be cool to see it given a new life. I’m picturing a little black and gold. Let us know in the comments what you would do with it!