1951 Jaguar Mark VII

This particular Jaguar Mark VII was built on 16th August 1951 as a LHD model for export. It was finished in Suede Green with a Suede Green interior and was specified with the 4 speed manual gearbox. Being a 1951 car, this example provides a unique opportunity as it is genuinely Mille Migllia eligible. Many claim their Mark VII to be eligible, but only examples built in 1951 or 1952 can actually participate. This is one such car.

It is said the Jaguar Mark VII was purchased new at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show by the owner of a scrapyard business in the German port city of Kiel. It is believe the Mark VII was brought to the show by Jaguar but was not on the display stand. The first owner used the car for a number of years, before putting it into storage at his yard. It was then acquired by the second owner in 1984. It is believed he restored the car over a 20 year period and today it presents to a very high standard.

It was then acquired by the current owner who brought it into the UK with the plan to turn it into a Mille Miglia specification Jaguar Mark VII. As the car was in such good condition after its restoration he decided against the rebuild and is now offering it up for sale.

Please note, the Jaguar has been imported under the Bonhams’ temporary admission customs bond (£350 removal). Should the winning bidder choose to import the car into the UK, additional import duties will apply. Please contact the relevant authorities for advice on this. The car was previously registered in Germany, the car has come from the European Union under temporary import.

The seller believes The Mark VII is finished in a version of British Racing Green. It presents very well indeed with a lovely deep shine to the paint work, which is set off very nicely by its bright chrome work. The dark colour suits the graceful lines of the big Jaguar saloon and it has real presence.

The standard of finish is very good with only a few small areas that require attention. There is a small stain blemish on the lower edge of the front left wing and a few small chip marks on some of the door. These blemishes are relatively minor and do not detract from the car.

Walking round the the big British luxury saloon all the bright work is finished to a very nice standard with only minor marks present. The left side windscreen wiper is missing, however one of these can be easily sourced.

Flashing indicators were added by a previous owner in Germany, which operate off the original steering wheel switch. The trafficators also work and are now operated by a separate switch under the dashboard. A modern hazard warning switch has also been fitted to the dashboard.

The saying that “they don’t make cars like they used too” is very true and when you open the large wide doors to the interior of this Jaguar Mark VII, that is exactly the expression that comes to mind. The first detail that immediately jumps out is the high gloss walnut wood dashboard which is very pleasing to the eye. The wood veneers were clearly finished to a high standard and they present very well, with only minor marks or blemishes visible. There is a small area of damage on the front passenger door card veneer which is noted in the photos.

The seats have been re-trimmed in black leather with light grey carpets which compliments the dark exterior. There are some minor wear marks visible on the drivers seat with a small cut on the seat base, which is noted in the photos. The rear seats look as though they’ve hardly been used.

The dooryards are also in nice shape with the pop out tool kits in both doors working as they should. Not all the tools are present though they can of course still be sourced, which could be a nice project for the new owner.

The headliner is in very nice condition as well. We did note that the sunroof appeared to be stuck and the sun visors also appeared to be screwed shut. This is likely down to the small sun visor spring clips that often breaks and is a common fault on these era Jaguars.

These minor details however do not detract from the Mark VII’s interior. It is lovely luxurious place to sit in, with lots of space and the combination of the wood and leather aroma is very pleasing indeed.

Under the bonnet is the Jaguar 3.4 litre straight six which the seller says is matching numbers. The engine bay presents very well indeed and is very clean and presentable. It has clearly benefited from considerable expenditure in the past and with a little effort could be brought up to concours standard. The engine fired up promptly for the photoshoot and idled without issue. The electric fan kicked in when required and the car was easy to manoeuvre with the clutch nice and light to operate.

There is a little bit of oil visible where the engine block meets the gearbox on the left side, which is likely caused by one of the oil return pipes. These are known to leak and are a characteristic of these XK engines.

There are a good number of invoices for past maintenance and service work, including a stamped service book, which indicates the last service was carried out in April 2022 at 26,853 miles. Since then the Jaguar’s speedometer reading has increased to 27,805 km. The history file suggests that this mileage could be genuine.

The underside of the Mark VII is very clean indeed and in some areas it looks brand new, which shows the high quality of the restoration. The boot area is also in good condition as well. The spare wheel and its cover is missing but the very rare and often missing car jack is present which is a major plus.

The Jaguar Heritage Certificate which was ordered by the current owner confirms the Jaguar Mark VII was built on 16th August 1951 and was dispatched on the 10th September 1951 to Dusseldorf in Germany.

This particular Mark VII has an interesting story attached to it, which was documented by the German owner who painstakingly restored the car from 1985 to 2011. Some of these notes have been translated into English which makes for interesting reading.

According to this gentleman, the car was purchased new at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show by the owner of a scrapyard business in the German port city of Kiel. He used the Jaguar until 1954 when it was apparently replaced by a Mercedes 300. The Mark VII remained in storage at the businessman’s yard until it was acquired by the 2nd owner in 1984. The 2nd owner was friends with the stepson of the scrapyard owner and actually used to see the big Jaguar in the yard when he played in the area as a kid. He loved the car and eventually acquired it himself, embarking on its restoration in 1985. This work was finally completed when the Mark VII was re-registered on 28th April 2011. It was then sold to a car collector in 2015 who carried out further works and maintenance.

It then passed to the current owner who planned to prepare it for the Mille Miglia, with Jaguar specialists CKL Developments of East Sussex earmarked for the conversion work. The current owner is based in the US and as a result the car was prepared for US registration. Due to the condition and originality of the car he decided against the conversion.

When William Lyons coined the phrase “Grace, Space and Pace”, it was a description that fits the Jaguar Mark VII perfectly. This example has clearly been looked after and the quality of the restoration is impressive. With only a few minor cosmetics to address, it would not take much to bring this big cat up to an even higher standard. The fact it is a genuine LHD export Mark VII makes it an interesting and rare car to find here in the UK and the fact it is Mille Miglia adds to its potential. Genuine classics that look this, especially ones that have an interesting back story and provenance don’t come up very often.

We estimate this car to fetch between £35,000 - £40,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor near Battle, East Sussex, United Kingdom, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.