1952 Jaguar MK VII
William Lyons drew up the Mark VII’s four-door body during the war years, producing a shape whose wide horizontal grille, full rear wheel covers, and divided two-piece windshield made no overtures toward sportiness.
At 196.5 inches long and 3,696 lb (1,676 kg), it read as a formal luxury machine (until the 3.4-liter DOHC XK straight-six pushed it past 100 mph, giving it a credible claim to being the fastest production saloon of its time).
The original UK price of £1,276 looked implausible given the performance. Road testers confirmed that the handling matched the speed, and competition results followed. Stirling Moss won the Silverstone production car race in 1952 and 1953; the model took that event for five straight years.
Ian Appleyard placed 2nd overall in the 1953 Mille Miglia (a single point behind the winner). The Monte Carlo Rally fell in 1956 to Ronnie Adams, driving a Mark VIIM (the 190-hp development of the original introduced that year).
Total production across the Mark VII and VIIM reached just over 30,000 units (approximately 30,969), with the majority exported, the Mark VII being the first Jaguar saloon to sell in large numbers in the United States.
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