All ready for Goodwood, in a MkVII Jaguar?
This could easily be a scene captured at a Goodwood Revival meeting, a smart lady dressed in appropriate 1950s attire, stood by her wonderful old Jaguar, in this case a MkVII or MKVIIM saloon of the early/mid fifties. For any lady out there wishing to capture the correct 'Goodwood' look, replicating the outfit shown here would be a good starting point. Does XEV 411 (an Essex registration) survive perhaps? maybe it is slumbering in a dusty barn somewhere, just waiting to be restored one day? This particular MkVII sports a fine set of badges in front of the radiator grille, the AA and RAC badges are easily identifiable, the centre pair though are less easy to identify. I did wonder if the third badge was similar to the logo used at the Festival of Britain.
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The MkVII Jaguar was launched in 1951 and continued in production until 1956, by which time the MkVIII was ready for the buying public. Powered by the 3.4 litre XK engine first seen in the XK120 sports car, the MkVII certainly had a respectable turn of speed, even if the two seater Jaguar sports cars would easily show it a clean pair of heals. The MkVII not only sold well in roadgoing trim, it also had a number of successes in motorsport - the photos on this page for instance show two racing-prepared MkVII Jaguars, both prepared for the Monte Carlo Rally (one in 1952, the other in 1955).
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This car's chassis was based on that found on the previous MkV, a large saloon introduced in 1948 (the same year as the XK120) but unlike the sportscar, it did not come fitted with the XK engine. Whereas the MkV incorporated many styling cues from the pre-war SS Jaguars, the curvy MkVII brought the Jaguar saloon range right up-to-date, with headlamps incorporated within the front panel, and a less imposing radiator grille up front. Unlike the MkV though, which had a flat one-piece windscreen, the MkVII was fitted with a split screen arrangement, better able to fit in with the curving roofline. |
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In 1954 the MkVIIM was introduced, basically a revised version of the previous MkVII. It still came with the 3.4 litre powerplant, although the quoted power output was slightly improved, as was the top speed (approx 104 mph in favourable conditions). For the first time British buyers could now choose an automatic gearbox, instead of the four speed manual found in the MKVII. Buyers overseas had had the option of an auto 'box since 1953.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 8.
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