JAGUAR - MkVII

Caratteristiche

Descrizione

1953 Jaguar Mk VII, Chassis No. 736464, Body No. L013435 Engine No. B4481-8.

Carte d’Identitė Internationale FIVA/PHILPA Νο. 1082 issued on 22-06-1988.

The Jaguar Mk. VII is based on the chassis of its former MKV model. That model had been powered by an engine of prewar design, originally developed by the Standard Motor Company. The Mark VII featured the remarkable newly developed XK engine first seen in in production form in the 1949 Jaguar XK. The 3.442 cc straight six engine provided the same 160 bhp (119.3 kW) power output in this application as in the Mark VII's sports car contemporary. Despite its size, a car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1952 had a top speed of 101 mph (163 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 13.7 seconds. A fuel consumption of 17.6 miles per imperial gallon (16.1 L/100 km) was recorded.

This specific example of the Jaguar Mk. VII was first registered in May 1953, according to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Production Record Trace Certificate No. 62236. It is a car which we always wanted to have once. We found this Mk. VII in Athens, Greece in Spring of 1988 and it has remained in our ownership eversince i.e. **for 30 solid years! **During this long period it has been part of our car collection [more here: https://3cg.gr/the-web-garage/]  which means that the car has been loved and taken care of, always garaged, sporadically used for entring local Classic Car Club Events as for example:

• 2004 Philanthropic Event organized by the Mayor of Athens
• PHILPA Picnic 2006
• Athens January Gathering 2007
• Athens January Gathering 2008
• PHILPA Picnic 2009
• Easter Picnic 2012
• 1st Tatoi Circuit of PHILPA 2012
• PHILPA Winter Excursion 2013
• 1st Classic Car Drive in Kea Island by 3cg.gr, June 2015

This specific example of the Mk. VII is in a very good condition. As of this current period more than €2.000 have been invested in spare parts & labor [2 x new original SU Fuel pumps, SU carbs overhauled, radiator flushed and several new hoses fitted etc].  The car is very nice painted during its restoration. It is extremely straight and no bubbles or paint chips are evident what so ever. Having spent since the 1950's its life in the sunny and dry climate of Greece, rust is nowhere to be found! The interior has been professionally restored by Connoly of Athens in January of 2001 and remains in "as new condition". Ditto for the headliner and carpeting. In the dashboard all instruments work as they should, and rare, in the two front door side flush closing compartments, ALL THE ORIGINAL Jaguar hand tools are in place! In addition, just two years ago, a set of four new tires have been fitted with less than 1.000 km of road use on them. Overall it is very nice example and has a lot of patina. Just see the pictures.

Engine wise, the Mk. VII still has its matching number engine & gearbox and also under the bonnet, the car is in a very good and mostly original condition. During 2012, a major improvement -  in the critical for safety reasons - brake system was professionally done by installing two front disc brakes and repairing the servo. For the first time the heavy sedan can stop, pointing in a straight line and not prone to fading in downhill courses. [Needless to say that all the original drums have been kept, should a future owner would wish to revert back to the inefficient original system]. 

Most people have not considerd about it, but a Mk. VII will cost the same as a Mk. II, while it remains rare in LHD and more value for money. Looking at the Mk. VII, one would not directly intend to race it, but the model range Mark VII to Mark IX had competed several times very successfully at national and international Rallyes. Among the fast drivers there were famous names like Sir Stirling Moss and Ian Appleyard, while more recently Mr Bean's Mk. VII has performed quite well in a number of historic events in the UK. This makes the Jaguar Mk. VII eligible for the Mille Miglia, due to the fact that a Mk. VII was driven in the greatest road race during 1953. Ditto for the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. For more information or an appointment, please call Byron E. Riginos at +30 6945 930303 or drop me a mail: byron66@me.com. Please do not hesitate to contact me by phone during evenings or the weekends. The Classic Car Center of Greece Collection is conveniently located near Athens and only 30 minutes from the Athens International  Airport.