1952 Jaguar MkVII
Near impossible to replicate patinated original condition

Registration No: PSA 610
Chassis No: 784984
MOT: Exempt

• Incredibly original condition with only very minor panel repairs during the recommissioning
• Originally supplied to the RAF with a letter from the Ministry of Defence adding to provenance
• Long term exhibit in the Automobilia Motor Museum in Cornwall from 1999 - 2010
• Believed genuine c.14,500 miles from new with history to support the claim
  
  

SALE ROOM NOTICE - The vendor has advised that the Master Cylinder seals have failed due to inferior quality replacement parts, causing inoperable brakes.

Launched in 1950 at the British International Motor Show as the successor to the Jaguar MkV, featuring an entirely new streamlined body design that was to become the basis for the large Jaguars until the 1960s and featured such innovations as independent front suspension, a first for Jaguar. Probably the most important feature was the fitment of the in-house designed twin overhead camshaft 'XK' engine that was already tried and tested thanks to the XK120 sports car. The engine was fitted to the MkVII in 3.4 litre, twin carburettor form that made it a very quick car for its size (over 100mph) therefore proving very successful in competition work. Still the only Jaguar model to have won the Monte Carlo Rally, it proved equally effective at Silverstone (taking top honours in the International Trophy meeting for five years in a row) and even contested the 1953 Mille Miglia.

According to a letter from Jaguar Cars Limited supplied with the history file, it is understood that chassis 714984 was manufactured on 22nd December 1952 and dispatched for sale on 13th January 1953. It is understood that the car was bought new by the RAF as a staff car and registered as PSA 610, where it was evidently used very minimally. In 1988, after a period of layup, the car was sold out of Ministry of Defence ownership to Ron McGraw of Berwickshire, Scotland. Mr McGraw kept the car until his passing in 1990, when ownership transferred to his daughter and her husband. In 1999, the vehicle made its way all the way from Scotland to the Automobilia Motor Museum after purchase by its proprietor, Colin Vincent, who kept the car as pride of place in the collection until 2010 when the car was sold to a friend of his who again never used the car on the road, but preserved it as well as he could. Our vendor purchased the car in 2023 with the intent of full restoration, but having discovered how original the car is, he has simply performed works to areas with the view of preservation in mind and recommissioned the car for use. The recorded mileage on the speedometer is currently circa 7,500 miles and there is a letter on file from the Ministry of Defence which states that the speedometer was changed at approximately 7,000 miles. Therefore, it is very credible given the condition of this car and its history that the car has only covered 14,500 miles in its 71 year history.

The car now presents in an impossible to replicate state of patina which only a very gentle life could have given it. The vendor states that the bodywork is 'excellent' and it is quite obvious to see details such as the original lead-filling lines around the sidelights that a restoration so often lacks. The paint however, being the original coating of Black, is aged and patinated in such a way that any prospective purchaser would find it hard to have the heart to refinish it. The vendor spent considerable time working to blend small areas that needed repair such as around the bottoms of the rear wings and we would be amazed to find another example quite like it. The Tan interior is in a charming condition with minimal signs of wear and the vendor states that everything is original and correct. The vendor states that mechanically, the car has been recommissioned for road use, with the almighty XK power plant showing good oil pressure. The vendor is confident that the assumed mileage of 14,500 miles is correct given the way that the car drives.

For more information, please contact:
Lucas Gomersall
lucas.gomersall@handh.co.uk
07484 082430