I lurk a lot here and usually find someone has already answered questions I have. BUT as I am nearing paintwork on my MK2 1965-66, 3.4 manual I cannot decide what trunk lid holes are original for the emblems and which should not be there to be delete. Some of the decals were missing before I started.
The 2 holes circled should probably go. The 3 above that also.
The 2 above them is for the engine size decal and the 3 above that for the jaguar decal.
I also assume that in Australia the rectangular holes for Registration Number are also not needed?
There seems to be a fair bit of variation googling images.
My boot lid still has original paint and decals. I will take a picture and post. It’s now a manual, I haven’t finished filling the holes where the “automatic” was so all present for matching with your car - necessary or not. Paul.
Our MK2 is a US Market car and is equipped with the Borg Warner Automatic Transmission. I elected to retain both registration mounting plate configurations that were originally stamped into the outer boot lid panel. I inserted rubber grommets in the holes that would be used to fit Home Market plates. This tidied up the holes and prevents water ingress. I’m not familiar with the two circled holes in your photo. I suspect these were added post manufacture at Browns Lane. The three holes above the two circled holes are intended to mount the “Automatic” badge. as pictured on our car below. Lastly, the rectangular slots are intended for US registration plates. purpose molded grommets are available for these slots. Rather than weld them up, you could simply install four grommets and be done with it. They won’t be visible when you mount a square registration plate and you have the added benefit of the plugs providing protection to your new paint as they will help maintain a gap between the registration plate and the painted surface.
I live in Southern California as well, and my 1967 car does not have the four black grommets pictured on the lid of your car. I wonder if your car was originally sold in a country other than the US? Are you the original owner? Back in the mid 1960’s various manufacturers offered Americans the option of picking up their car at the factory, driving it around in the UK, then having the car shipped back to the US after driving it several weeks. This purchase option afforded a price better than at a US dealership, and, as a bonus, when the car finally arrived in the US, it was subject to reduced customs duties, as it was now being imported as a ‘used’ vehicle. The black number plate on your car, beginning with the letter ‘k’, would suggest the car was registered in California in the early to mid 1960’s. My car, sold new in California in 1967, also has a black plate beginning with the letter ‘V’ .I’ve never seen a car sold new in the US with the four grommets for UK plates as shown in your photo.
I am the 3rd owner of this MK2. The ‘black’ plate that you see here was registered by the original owners Charles and Patricia Van de Water of Long Beach, California some time in 1963. The Van de Water family owned the car for 36 years and then sold it to Karen Rutherford of Hollywood, California. I purchased the car from Karen in 2004 and relocated it to Michigan where it presently resides. During my restoration, I was fortunate to find an ATM card underneath the driver’s side carpet. A quick google search enabled me to get in touch with the daughter-in-law of Charles and Patricia. She confirmed that Charles and Patricia took delivery of the Jaguar while vacationing in Europe and that Jaguar had shipped the car back to California for them…You’re on the mark!
Unlike another MK2 Heritage Certificate that I have seen, European delivery is not mentioned in our car’s record. It’s interesting to note that Jaguar misspelled the Van de Water family name…their records have C. Van Der Waley listed as the original owner. The following photo is of a European delivery brochure that Jaguar issued to promote the benefits that you accurately captured.
