Mk.VII, VIII & IX
We also supply a comprehensive range of parts for the Mk.VII, VIII and IX. !
The Mk.VII first appeared at the Earl's Court Motor Show in October 1950, and was voted Car Of The Year. That same year, it also appeared at the Waldorf Astoria in Park Avenue, New York, where over 500 orders were taken in the first three days. It remained in production until September 1954, and was the first of the big saloons, with room for six passengers. It had a leather and walnut veneer interior, a large boot, and was fitted with a 3.4 litre XK engine, giving it an acceleration of 0-60mph in 13 seconds, and a top speed of 103 mph. Two Mk. VIIs were driven into fourth and sixth positions in the 1962 Monte Carlo Rallye, and they took the first three places in the 1954 at Silverstone. In 1953, the Borg Warner automatic transmission first became available, and a year later, there was the option of overdrive manual gearboxes.
In October 1954, the Mk.VII M was introduced, and remained in production until July 1956. This was an updated version of the Mk. VII, with several visual differences. These included J Lights, instead of PF 770 Tripod Headlights, horn grilles in the front wings in place of fog lights, which were now relocated in the front valance, flashing indicators and larger rear lights mounted on chrome plinths. The bumpers were a different shape, with the rear bumper affording the body more protection by being wrapped around the bottom of the rear wings. It is a strange fact that the only item of official Jaguar literature which mentions the term Mk.VII M is the driver's handbook. Although the second version of the spare parts catalogue does include relevant information, the term VII M is never used, and owners have to refer to the chassis number to determine which part they need. During the six years of their production, over 30,000 MK.VII/VIIM were produced.
The MK.VIII was introduced in October 1956, with a one-piece windscreen, cut-away rear-wheel spats and two-tone paintwork, separated by crome strips. Performance was enhanced by the introduction of the B-Type head (which produced more power at lower revs) a twin exhaust system and the automatic gearbox was now fitted with and intermediate speed hold. Power-assisted steering was also an option. The interior remained basically the same as the Mk.VII, but picnic tables were fitted to the back of the front seats, as was an electric clock. A folding arm-rest was fitted in the centre of the rear seat, and the boot was lined with a Hardura material. The Mk. VIII model is the rarest of the large saloon series, with only 6300 being produced before the introcuction of the Mk.IX in October 1958.
The Mk.IX was virtually the same as the Mk.VIII with two notable differences: it was fitted with disk brakes all around, and had a new 3.8L engine, giving it much better performance and a top speed of 114 mph. Power-assisted steering was also fitted as standard, and the heating unit was uprated. Later models had larger rear lights, incorporating red and amber lenses on a much larger plinth. Just over 10,000 of these models had been produced when production ceased in 1961.
