Vehicle Description
1953 Jaguar Mark VII One of 20,908 examples made between 1951 and
1955; one of 12,978 were export examples 3.4L DOHC inline
six-cylinder engine with a pair of SU carburetors Four-speed manual
transmission and 4.27 gearing Silver over Burgundy exterior
Burgundy Connolly Leather interior with Wilton Wool Carpet 120-inch
wheelbase Same owner/restorer since 2014 It was the Mark VII model
which put Jaguar on the map as a manufacturer of high-performance
luxury saloons. There were 20,908 Mark VIIs made between 1951 and
1955, with 12,978 of those as export sales. Interesting ownership
history on this handsome steed. We purchased this rarely seen
4-speed Mark 7 from a gentleman who makes artificial eyes for those
in need for a living. He found the car at a local estate sale in
need of refurbishment. His attraction to the car was from when he
was young and had a paper stand. Each day a gentleman would stop in
his Jaguar Mark 7 to purchase a paper, leaving him interested in
the Jaguar. While combing through the copious amount of paperwork
that was indeed the same car the gentleman stopped at his paper
stand some 50+ years ago. He then set out to restore the car you
see today. After he had his fun he decided to move the car along
and that's where we came in... Originally registered in the UK in
1953 it seems it was exported to the USA in 1954. We have service
receipts back to 2/9/54. When Leo Hapley acquired the car. WE have
additional receipts through 6/28/67. The car was sold to a Mr. Joe
Havens somewhere thereafter and the car was judged at the St. Louis
JCNA event in 1989. The first time I showed my 1961 flat floor
E-Type. This was the car that Jaguar Chief Engineer William Lyons
had always intended the XK engine for, and after small-scale
production of the XK120 sports car for two years, the Mark VII
saloon followed in October 1950. However, most of production went
for export, and the Mark VII was the first Jaguar saloon to sell in
large numbers in the USA. This example is dressed in silver over
burgundy, with the paint and trim in overall very good order. The
bodywork is straight and solid and the car?s chrome bumper look
good and fit tightly to the body. There is a full-size spare tire
in the trunk. The engine bay is in very good order, too. This Big
Cat rolls on Coker Classic wide whitewall tires, size 6.50R16 at
all four corners. Each one is mounted on steel wheels, with a
silver beauty rim topped with a factory wheel cover. The tires and
wheels are all in order. This Cat rides on a 120-inch wheelbase.
Under the hood is what makes it all work, the 3.4L DOHC straight
six-cylinder engine with a pair of SU carburetors. Backing this
engine is a four-speed manual transmission and a 4.27:1 rear end.
Inside, the burgundy Connolly Leather seats with rear center
fold-down armrest and matching Wilton Wool Carpet are in
satisfactory shape, as is the rest of the interior ? the headliner,
inner door panels, instrument panel and shift lever. The speedo and
horn are inop. Right side full tank sending unit does not register.
The Mark VII chassis came from the Jaguar Mark V and the wheelbase
remained the same at 10 feet. The new model?s body looked more
streamlined, with integrated headlights and mudguards, a two-piece
windscreen, and longer rear overhang. As on the Mark V, the rear
wheels were partially covered by removable spats. Whereas the Mark
V had a prewar pushrod engine originally developed by the Standard
Motor Company, the Mark VII was powered by the newly developed XK
engine. First seen in production form in the 1948 XK120, the 3.4L
DOHC straight-six provided 160 horsepower, the same as in the
XK120, and the saloon's claimed top speed was over 100 mph. When
the car was being developed, Jaguar thought it would find most of
its customers overseas, mainly because UK car tax at that time
penalized buyers of larger-engined cars. However, it went into
production just as Britain's postwar economic austerity began to
ease, and in 1951 the car's enthusiastic reception in both the
British and American markets prompted Jaguar to relocate production
to larger premises, at the Browns Lane plant, which had been built
for wartime production as a shadow factory and was now available
for immediate use. A Mark VII tested by The Motor in 1952 had a top
speed of 101 mph, accelerated from 0?60 mph in 13.7 seconds. Queen
Elizabeth II?s mother, the Queen Mother, had one as her private car
between 1955 and 1973. In 1952 the Mark VII became the first Jaguar
to be offered with an automatic transmission. By the time the model
was upgraded to M specification in 1954, 20,908 had been produced.
Competition to this Jag in 1953 included Chrysler?s New Yorker,
DeSoto?s Firedome, Hudson?s Hornet, Oldsmobile 98 Touring and
Packard?s Cavalier Touring Sedan. VIN: B41638 This car is currently
located at our facility in St. Louis, Missouri. Current mileage on
the odometer shows 31,102 miles. It is sold as is, where is, on a
clean and clear, mileage exempt title. GET OUT AND DRIVE!!! Note:
Please see full terms and conditions listed below that pertain to
the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.
