Lot 228: 1952 Jaguar MkVII Saloon & Jaguar C-Type Chassis

Although its twin-overhead-camshaft engine had first appeared in the XK120 sports car and its chassis design in the MkV saloon, it was not until 1950 that the two were combined in the MkVII. A considerable improvement on what had gone before, the cruciform-braced chassis featured torsion-bar independent front suspension and all-round hydraulic brakes. The 3.4-litre ‘six’ had already demonstrated its prowess in the XK120 and proved capable of propelling the MkVII’s not inconsiderable bulk past 100mph. Priced at a mere 40f its Bentley MkVI rival, but available at first only for export, the MkVII was a big hit in the USA, that market’s demands prompting the introduction of an automatic transmission option in 1953.
A tax disc found in its glove-box suggests that this particular example was last on the road in March 1973. Finished in dark green with pale green leather upholstery, and equipped with the four-speed manual transmission, it is now in need of extensive restoration. Alternatively, the vehicle, which is offered for sale together with a C-Type chassis frame of unknown origin, would constitute an ideal donor car for the construction of a replica of Jaguar’s legendary sports racer. The C-Type’s astonishing debut victory in the 1951 Le Mans 24-Hour Race and its follow-up win in ’53 established Jaguar’s first purpose-built sports racing car as one of the all-time great competition automobiles. Today the C-Type remains one of the most popular of classic Jaguar recreations, with a number of specialists offering body kits and other necessary components, one of the foremost practitioners being the now-combined firm of Proteus/CERA, of Romsey, Hampshire. Sold strictly as viewed, ‘GPR 794’ is offered for sale with old-style logbook, Swansea V5 document and potentially valuable transferable registration mark.