Racing driver John Coombs' name will forever be linked with that of Jaguar, his MkI and Mk2 saloons being at the forefront of British saloon car racing throughout the late 1950s/early 1960s.

He gave up competitive driving to concentrate on running his Guildford-based Jaguar dealership, making the benefit of his experience available to customers, and over the next seven years they modified between 30 and 40 Mk2s.

Essentially, the Coombs conversion consisted of an uprated engine matched by steering and suspension modifications, but the company offered a plethora of options from which customers could choose.

They included an additional fuel tank, a wood-rim steering wheel and a chrome plated boot rack.

Coombs would also modify the rear wheel arches, removing the spats and making up rolled edges to match the profile of the front wheel arches.

The primary objective of this was to improve access for wheel changing during motorsport events, but the modification improved the appearance of...