Jaguar Mark VII

Jaguar Mark VII Jaguar Mark VII M
1954 Jaguar Mark VII
Overview
Manufacturer	Jaguar Cars
Production	1950–1956 30,969 produced
Body and chassis
Class	Full-size luxury car (F)
Body style	4-door saloon
Powertrain
Engine	3442 cc I6 , 160 bhp (119.3 kW) (1951–1954) 3442 cc I6, 190 bhp (141.7 kW) (1954–1956)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	120 in (3,048 mm)
Length	196.5 in (4,991 mm)
Width	73 in (1,854 mm)
Kerb weight	3,696 lb (1,676 kg) MarK VII 3,724 lb (1,689 kg) MarK VII M
Chronology
Predecessor	Jaguar Mark V
Successor	Jaguar Mark VIII

The Jaguar Mark VII is a four-door luxury car produced by Jaguar Cars of Coventry from 1951 to 1956. Launched at the 1950 British International Motor Show as the successor to the Jaguar Mark V, it was called the Mark VII because there was already a Bentley Mark VI on the market. A version of the Jaguar Mark V with the XK engine had been designated as the Mark VI, but it is thought that only two were built.

In its original 1950 form the Mark VII could exceed 100 mph, and in 1952 it became the first Jaguar to be made available with an optional automatic transmission.

Mark VIIs were successful in racing and rallying.

The Mark VII chassis came from the Jaguar Mark V and the wheelbase remained the same at 10 feet (3,048.0 mm). 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 3442 cc DOHC straight-six provided 160 bhp (119.3 kW), the same as in the XK120, and the saloon's claimed top speed was over 100 mph (160 km/h).

When the car was being developed Jaguar thought it would find most of its customers overseas, mainly because UK car tax at that time penalised 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.