The post-war saloons
The post-war saloons (part 2)
The Mark V
- 1949-51
Mark V Saloon
Produced 1948-51 as a 4 dr. saloon and a 2 dr. Drop Head Coupe with the
same 2.5 and 3.5 engines as the previous model.
The Mark V is sort of a first and last car. It is the first new post-war
body design, first use of pushbutton door handles (saloon) and standard
sealed beam headlights (U.S. spec), first with independent front suspension
and hydraulic brakes, and the last to use the pushrod engines. It is the
only model to have the biplane bumpers, so called because they look like
the leading edge of the wings of a biplane. These bumpers are made of seven
chromed pieces each, plus supporting steel bars and top covering aprons.
Saloon: The front doors are hinged at the rear but the rear doors are hinged
at the front. The exterior door handles are the push button type and are
in line with the chrome trim.
Drop-Head Coupe: The top is a three-position like the previous models. The
doors are wood framed. The exterior door handles are the umbrella handle
type.
The headlights are standard 7 inch sealed beam units for America, or 7.7
inch flat lens tribar units for all other countries. The headlight pods
are welded to the front fenders and filled in with lead. Almost all Mark
V's have a pair of chromed fog lights also mounted to the front fenders,
lower and closer together than the headlights. The horns are not visible.
The bootlid is hinged at the bottom, and the toolkit is in the bootlid.
The spare tire is in a separate compartment below the center section of
the rear bumper. The tires are 16" rim diameter with steel disc wheels
painted body color and fender skirts (spats) on the rear being standard
equipment.
The Mark VII
- 1950-57
Mark VII - the first saloon car to use the XK-engine
The Jaguar MKVII was introduced october 1950.
The MKVII was the first post-war saloon. A very outstanding feature is the
splitted front window. The chassis and gearbox are the same as in the MKV,
but a number of changes were made, such as servo brakes and different shockabsorbers.
It was the first post-war saloon that became famous all over the world.
It has a wheelbase of 10ft, overall length of 16ft 4.5 inch and a width
of 6ft 1.
The MKVII is the first car with the 3,4 XK engine:
3442 cc, 160bhp at 5200 rpm,
compression 8:1 (or optional 7:1)
manual or borg warner gearbox.
Performance: 0-60 mph 13.7 secs
max speed 101 mph
A total of 20939 MKVII were built (12755 rhd and 8184 lhd)
The Mark VIIM
- 1950-57
The Mark VIIM
In september 1954 the MKVII M was introduced. It had a lot of improvements/changes
compared with the MKVII. At the outside the front was changed, the inset
fog lamps had been moved to outboard positions on the bumper, flashing indicators
on the front wings, and horn grilles replaced the fog lamps. The bumpers
where also changed. There were some minor changes inside such as the flatt
steering wheel knob ?????? The engine was also modified: 190 bhp at 5500rpm,
the gearbox ratio's were different. One could choose between a manual gearbox,
a borg warner automatic and a Laycock de Normanville overdrive.
Performance: 0-60 mph 14.3 secs
max speed 104 mph
A total of 9261 MKVII M were built (7245 rhd and 2016 lhd)
The Mark VIII
- 1950-57
The Mark IX
October 1956 the MK VIII was introduced.
The car had been modernised. A chrome beading along the side was added,
the radiator grille was different and a leaping cat was fitted, and the
divided windscreen was replaced by a full width screen (a bit curved) The
car had a (optional) two tone paint finish. The opening roof was standard.
Inside ashtrays were fitted in the door panels and cigarette-lighters in
the door-pillars. Picknick tables and a magazine rack were added. The engine
was also modified: A "B" type head was fitted. This head has bigger
valves. The power rating was the same as the MKVII M, but a much better
performance. Most MKVIII were fitted with the Borg Warner automatic gearbox.
Performance: 0-60 mph 11,3 secs
max speed 106 mph
A total of 6332 MKVIII were built (4644 rhd and 1688 lhd)
The Mark IX
- 1950-57
The Mark IX
In october 1958 the MKIX was presented to the public.
The MKIX looks exactly the same as the MKVIII apart from the badges on the
bootlid, but the MKIX has a number of significant changes. It was the first
Jaguar saloon with (standard) dunlop disc-brakes (4), and power steering.
It was also the first production car with the 3.8 xk engine.
3781 cc, 220bhp at 5500 rpm,
compression 8:1 (or optional 7:1)
manual or borg warner gearbox.
Performance: 0-60 mph 11.3 secs
max speed 114 mph
A total of 10005 MKIX were built (5984 rhd and 4021 lhd)
In november 1960 the last MKIX was built, ut the British Ministry of defence
orderd an other 27 cars. Most of them had a separation window. Those cars
are known as the MKVIII B.
(Text about MKVII/MKVIIM/MKVIII/MKIX by Aldert Bruinsma (afbruins@xs4all.nl)
Part 3
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