The post-war saloons
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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. 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 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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