A History of the Jaguar Car
89THE JAGUAR CAR
The Jaguar car is world famous for its stylish designs; thrilling performance; luxurious and comfortable interiors; outstanding handling and ride; quality engineering and state-of-the-art technology. No other automobile manufacturer has been as remarkably successful at creating both the world's finest luxury sedans, as well as some of the world's most beloved sports cars.
The founder of Jaguar Cars Ltd. was Sir William Lyons. His goal was to create world class sports sedans with "grace, space, and pace." Lyons once said, "The car is the closest thing we will ever create to something that is alive."
The Jaguar car is produced near Birmingham, England. Its history stretches back nearly eighty years. The company was bought by the Ford Motor Company in 1989. Tata Motors of India purchased Jaguar Cars Ltd. in 2008, and it is rumored it will move the manufacturing plant to India in the future.
SIR WILLIAM LYONS
Sir William Lyons (1901-1985) was from Blackpool, England. His father was an Irishman who owned a musical instrument store. At age 17, Bill Lyons became an apprentice engineer at Crossley Motors, a company that produced cars, buses, and military vehicles in Manchester from 1904 to 1945. The next year, Lyons was hired as a salesman for Sunbeam Motorcars (1901-1976).
By the time he turned 21, William Lyons had founded a company with his best friend, William Walmsley, to make motorcycle sidecars. In 1931, Lyons bought out his partner and began producing his first automobiles. For over thirty years, Bill Lyons personally designed all of the Jaguar cars except the racecars and the E-Type, which were designed by the brilliant Malcolm Sayers.
William Lyons was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1956 for his service to British industry. He was married for 61 years to Greta Brown, and they produced three children. The man known as "Mr. Jaguar" died at his home in Warwickshire, and his wife followed him to the grave one year later.
THE JAGUAR CAR COMPANY IS BORN
The original name of Jaguar Cars Ltd. was the Swallow Sidecar Company. The first automobile it produced was named the SS 1 (1932-1936), which would go on to sell 4,200 units—a great success for a startup car company in those days. The "SS" stood for "Standard Swallow."
A new model came out in 1935 dubbed the SS Jaguar Mark IV. It was produced until 1948 in various versions, with over 20,000 sold. The company also produced a model called the SS90 (1936-1940) and a two-seat sports car, the SS100.
Because the British public equated 'SS' with Nazis after World War Two, the name of the company was changed to Jaguar in 1945. From 1948 through 1951, 10,000 Jaguar cars were built of the model Mark V. The Mark VII was next (1951-1956) and 31,000 of these were made. 6,000 of the Mark VIII Jaguar Car (1956-1958) were produced and the Mark IX (1959-1961) reached sales of about 10,000.
There had been no major style change of the Jaguar car until 1961. Bill Lyons designed the all new Mark X specifically to be marketed to America. This car had a ten year run, with more than 25,000 sold.
JAGUAR XJ
The flag ship of the Jaguar car fleet is the XJ model, first introduced in 1968. It was to be the last Jaguar car designed by Bill Lyons. To date, more than 400,000 of the Jaguar XJ have been built.
The XJ 6 sold 82,000 units from 1968 to 1973. In 1972, the new XJ 12 was launched that features the Jaguar V12 engine—the world's only mass-produced 12 cylinder four-door automobile. 14,000 XJ 12 models were made, and it was the fastest four-door automobile in the world, with a top speed of 140 mph.
The XJ (Series II) was produced from 1973 to 1979, with 91,000 sold. These were the first Jaguars ever made that gained a reputation for shoddy workmanship. The problem is easy enough to discern. Labor unions in Britain had grown more and more powerful, and by the 1970s work rules had been forced on manufacturers that left no accountability whatsoever for job performance by employees. The same thing went on in America. That is why the Japanese were able to take huge chunks of the world automobile market—and the market for nearly all manufactured goods—since the 1970s.
The redesigned 1979 XJ6 is thought by many aficionados to be the most beautiful sedan ever created. From that year through 1992, 133,000 XJ6 (Series III) cars were sold, including some 9,000 XJ Coupes (two-doors). The last Jaguar V12 engine rolled off the assembly line in 1997, the same year that saw the end of the XJ6. It was time for something new from Jaguar.
The XJ 8 made its debut in 1998. It features a new V8 engine, which has become renowned for its excellent performance and dependability.
In 2003, the first all-new XJ model since 1986 was unveiled. Its body was of all-aluminum construction, which makes it very light (4,000 lbs.) compared to the competition in its class, even though it is the largest, most spacious Jaguar ever created.
In 2009, the all-new, completely restyled XJ hit the market, a car that is much larger still—both longer and wider.
JAGUAR S-TYPE & X-TYPE
It should be noted that from 1955 through 1969, Jaguar also built well over 100,000 mid-sized cars; mostly known as the Mark I, Mark II, and the 420.
Thirty years went by before Jaguar reentered the mid-size luxury sedan market when it unveiled the S-Type in 1999. The S-Type shared its platform with the Lincoln LS (I once owned one of each of these cars but not at the same time). As with the XJ and the XK, the S-Type was also available in an "R" model with a supercharged engine.
The S-Type was discontinued after 2008 when it was replaced by the widely admired Jaguar XF. The XF has won nearly every prestigious automobile award known to man.
From 2001 through 2009 Jaguar produced, for the first time, a compact car—the X-Type. Though 350,000 of these cars were sold, it was considered a disappointment to Jaguar, which had anticipated selling twice as many.
JAGUAR RACE CARS
Besides producing automobiles for consumers, Jaguar has a long history in auto racing. In the 1950s, Jaguar racecars won the Le Mans 24 Hour race five times; twice with the C-Type ("C" stood for "competition") and three times with the D-Type.
The C-Type Jaguar was produced from 1951-1953. In 2009, one sold at auction for over $2.5M. But it was the D-Type (1954-1957) that is justly famous for being the first automobile designed with aircraft-style engineering for aerodynamics. The D-Type took five of the top six spots in the 1957 Le Mans race. The most recent sale of one was in 2008: it fetched almost seven million dollars!
Jaguar left the racing scene for a few decades. But in 1988, Jaguar once again won at Le Mans with the XJR-9; and in 1990 a Jaguar XJR-12 won the race and another finished second. Le Mans is the world's oldest endurance race for sport cars.
Jaguar has also produced some limited edition race cars for public consumption. 50 of the mid-engine Jaguar XJR-15 were sold from 1990-1992 for just under a million dollars each.
281 of the mid-engine Jaguar XJ 220 "Supercar" were sold in 1992-1994 for around $650,000 each. At 7' wide it is the widest jaguar car ever produced. And it was the fastest street jaguar with a top speed of 217 mph. It was and is illegal to drive the XJ220 on the street in the United States.
In 2013, Jaguar will produce 250 of a new limited edition race car for sale to the public, the C-X75. The C-X75 will have 778 horsepower and the price tag? $1.5M.
JAGUAR SPORTS CARS
The Jaguar Car Company made a big splash in 1948 with the introduction of its new sports cars: the XK120. By 1954, 12,000 of the XK120 had been sold. It was superseded by the XK140 (1954-1957), and the XK150 (1957-1961). 9500 of the XK150 were built before Jaguar decided to start from scratch with the legendary XKE in 1961.
The Jaguar XKE was called "the most beautiful car ever made" by none other than Enzo Ferrari. 70,000 of these internationally iconic sports cars would eventually be produced. Many car enthusiasts still today consider the Jaguar XKE the most beautiful car in the world. It is one of only six automobiles honored with a permanent display—as a work of art—by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
38,000 of the Jaguar XKE Series I were made from 1961-1968. They are distinguished by open headlights with a glass cover. The Jaguar XKE Series II was produced in 1969-1971, selling 19,000 units. It has open headlights without a glass cover and a much larger "bass-mouth," for which Jaguar sports cars have been famous. The Jaguar XKE Series III (1971-1975) produced 15,000 sales. It has the V12 engine.
From 1976 to 1996 the new Jaguar sports car was the XJS. 88,000 of them were built with the V12 engine; 27,000 were also sold with a V-6 engine. The car is of the class known as "Grand Tourer."
In 1996, the Jaguar XK was introduced. The XK would become the best-selling sports car in the history of the Jaguar Car Company.
In 2002, 500 of a special edition XKR 100 were built to mark the centenary of Sir William Lyons. The vast majority were convertibles but 69 of them were hardtops, of which your author owned one.
The XK was redesigned in 2006. Though they would go much faster, they are electronically limited to a top speed of 155 miles per hour.
We can thank Ian Callum for the design of the XK, the XJ, and the XF. And we should mention William Heynes who created the Dual Overhead Camshaft inline-six-cylinder engine that and the longest run of any car engine: 1949 to 1992. This was a big part of the success for the Jaguar car as it had a useful life of 200,000 miles.
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Great hub James. As you know, I love cars, especially English....
Take care
John
As a young man in the mid-60's, I owned a 1961 Corvette, and a friend had an XKE of around the same vintage. Since I was more mechanical, and the XKE was very high maintenance, he offered to trade even up.
If only…!
Great article, nostalgic for me as in the past we owned a Mark 2 and later a Mark 10. Sadly they are too expensive for me now. Top gear featured the latest one tonight.
An amid car lover this is surely a hub to book amrk.
I and my friends are really setting up a make over garage for improvised and new type vehicles.
I loved it very much and thanks for sharing this wonderful piece,
Many information is new to me here.
I had voted this up and also useful
With war regards
Dinesh Nair
There really nice cars. I would love to have a 2011 JAGUAR XJ but of course they cost WAY TO MUCH. Ill be lucky to get a 2011 Mitsubishi (not that I dont like them its just there cheap, I love Mits though.)
Thanks for sharing!
~thranax~
Jagauar is my favorite vehicle. I love the look, the feel, everything about them. These photos made me breathless, those cars are gorgeous. Alas, I currently cannot afford one. Where is my Sugar Daddy when I need him?!
Very interesting and well written hub!! I personally can not keep my attention focused on cars most of the time and forget the names of cars so fast that my family gets exasperated with me, but this article kept my attention the whole time and I understood it with some interest! I started out reading it as almost a test. I figured if this article could keep my attention then I knew you were good!! So WOW you are good :-)
I have always wanted a Jajuar, I also love the animal...lol.
I will be able to afford one when I become a famous author...I don't know when that will be.
Cool!!! I love Jag's; they are so sporty. You should have included some prices, then we can all dream.
Hi :)
When I went into Solihull, the other day, there was a lovely yellow E-Type Jag on display. It's a pity that I didn't have my camera with me.
There's a Jaguar museum not far away, too:
Jaguars are so sleek and well-built that they almost look like they are speeding while standing still. Sir William would appreciate this tribute, James, as well as your well-written history. Voted up, of course.
I have always Loved the Jaguar Car and at one time, I thought I'd buy a used one...But eventually I outgrew that notion. I so enjoyed this Hub as I've always thought of this car as so Sexy and now learning the History as made it seem even more so James. Mmmm, now am I once again thinking or dreaming about owning one? Only Time will tell. Voted UP James.
A fascinating read and super pictures. Wanted to jump right into the front seat if I could.
Hi James
I enjoyed the hub.
I have a model of a 1936 SS 100.
Voted up and awesome
I love this hub. My fave is the 2010 XKR. I love how they updated the model and brought it up to date so they could attract a younger audience.
Doha Ramada, till recently, ran a fleet of red Jaguars as hotel limos, just because the Sheikh who owns the hotel likes the car. Unfortunately there was some dispute with the importer and he changed his fleet to Mercedes almost overnight. Still luxurious of course, but not in the same class.
Nicely complete piece on a wonderful piece of "cardom". I love the look, old and new, but dating myself, I always mourn the loss of a distinctive look that immediately identifies a car. The more updated they become, the more they lose their identity - and that goes for every car on the market. They are, however, still beautiful and inspiring. Great hub - voted up.
Wayne Brown— Thank you for being my first visitor!
I surely agree with this that you said:
"I cannot imagine a car mogul at 22 years old producing a vehicle which has last this long...a visionary"
It is amazing, isn't it?
Yes, you are right that there were two fuel tanks on quite a few of the Jaguars. And I think you nailed the reason why. They used to be very heavy cars that sucked up a lot of gas.
The lines of most all the Jaguar models do have lovely lines. The fuel economy is far better than in the old days.
I enjoyed your thoughtful comments, WB. And you are quite welcome.
James
John Sarkis— I love cars too, John, especially the Jaguar cars. I am glad you enjoyed this Hub. Thank you for the compliment!
James
WillStarr— I would have made that trade! Although I must say a 1961 Corvette is a fabulous car in its own right. And gorgeous.
Thank you for visiting and commenting.
Gypsy Willow— Thank you for the kind compliment. You owned a Mark II and a Mark X?! That is awesome.
Yes, they are quite expensive. I once had an S-Type and an XKR 100. But no more. I doubt I will ever have one again. But like you, I have great memories of these beautiful automobiles. :-)
VENZKHVAM— Welcome to my Hub, Dinesh Nair. I look forward to reading some of your writings soon. I definitely appreciate the voted up and useful.
I am well pleased that you enjoyed this article and bookmarked it. Thank you for the accolades. And you are most welcome.
James A Watkins
thranax— Hey! A 2011 anything would be a nice vehicle. I have no car at all! :)
Mitsubishi makes a fine product. Thank you for visiting my Hub. I appreciate your comments and you are welcome.
James
Hyphenbird— Where's that Sugar Daddy! :D
I love everything about the Jaguar cars, too. And I cannot afford any car—let alone a used Jaguar—on my HubPages salary.
Thank you very much for visiting and for your remarks.
mythicalstorm273— Welcome to the HubPages Community! I will be over soon to check out what you've been writing so far.
Thank you for taking the time to "test" out my Hub. I sincerely appreciate your laudations. :-)
Cardisa— The Jaguar is a beautiful car and a Jaguar is a beautiful cat. Hey, you've got a "Car" right in your name.
I hope you hit the big time as an author. In the meantime, thanks for coming!
Funny yet not funny story ... Recently actor John Travolta was shopping for a new car at a Jaguar Dealership WHILE he was in the showroom his Benz valued at $100,000.00 was stolen. He laughed and said "At least it wasn't my jet which is safe in it's hangar)! :))
BTW...Fantastic hub! Great photos and history of the Jag!!!
SusieQ42— A brand new Jaguar XF averages around $67,500; a new XJ about $94,500; and a new XK approximately $98,000. Pretty salty.
Thank you for visiting and commenting. It is good to hear from you.
Trish_M— Hello! Nice to "see" you. Thank you for that link to the Jaguar Heritage Museum. I would absolutely love to visit. Maybe one day I will be able to. I appreciate the visit and comments.
drbj— Thank you for coming to see me. I hope Sir William would approve of this truncated version of the history of the Jaguar car. I just love what you said: "they almost look like they are speeding while standing still."
Awesome line!
b. Malin— Only time will tell. :-)
I surely appreciate the voted up. And I enjoyed reading your thoughts. Thank you for coming by to visit and view the gallery of Jaguars.
Gypsy Rose Lee— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
Sueswan— Thank you for the voted up and awesome! I am glad you enjoyed this Hub. How interesting that you have a model of the 1936 SS 100.
James
lauryallan— Your fave is my fave too. What a beautiful machine. Thank you for letting me know that you love this Hub. That is gratifying to read. :)
Paraglider— You know, I had a feeling I might hear from on this one. Nothing wrong with a Mercedes. That is an interesting story. Red Jaguars. Gotta love 'em!
Thanks for coming by.
cljonesmusic— Thank you very much for the voted up and the lovely laudations.
I agree with you that the styles of cars have become homogenized in the last couple decades. Along with a whole lot else in our world.
I like your comments. And I agree with you.
Sunshine625— That is a great story. By the way, my father is John Travolta's pilot.
Thank you so much for the accolades! I am glad you enjoyed this article. And I appreciate the visitation.
James - I never paid much attention to Jaguar cars until the series The Equalizer came out. I was hooked on the show, hooked on Edward Woodward, and I soooo loved his wheels!!
I loved the history of the company you provided in the hub, and the photos were great! Personally, I believe I'll always prefer to drive a truck, but the Jags are still make for impressive eye-candy!
Great article, amazing pictures.
Hi James! Your dad is John Travolta!?!? He pilots his own jets :))
Some awesome Jags here. My uncle had a Jaguar back in the 1990s. At the time you kind of needed a mechanic in your trunk. But things have come a long ways.
Great Jag pictures. I drove on back in the 1990(s) and it is a luxuriuos car.
Great hub.
JT
Hi James,
"Many car enthusiasts still today consider the Jaguar XKE the most beautiful car in the world." My husband is one of those people who would agree.
We once had a wine tasting in a Jaguar showroom here in Houston. The owner of the dealership who was a member of our wine club revved one up. Quite a noise in an enclosed space! Hard to forget that particular event! :))
It delighted me to know the historical background of Jaguar Car. As an Indian I feel proud of, to know that Tata Motors of India purchased Jaguar Cars Ltd. in 2008 and the rumored that it will move the manufacturing plant to India in the future is proved to be false. The Ratan Tata, the great entrepreneur is a man of innovation, who tried his best to produce a small Car “NANO”, the lowest ever prized in the world. Now it is in the market in India and abroad as well.
Wow..... this was so beautiful and you make it very complete. I love your review and all stunning pictures of Jaguar from time to time. I wish I could have this one...amen. Well done, brother. You had never cease to amaze me with wonderful hub. Vote up as always and God bless you.
Ps: I just wrote about "supercar compilation", if you don't mind you can check my hub. Thanks!
Prasetio
femmeflashpoint— I loved that show, "The Equalizer." Yes, the Jags are impressive "eye candy" alright. I am glad you enjoyed the brief history of the Jaguar car. Thank you for expressing your appreciation of the photographs I selected. I enjoyed reading your comments and it is good to "see" you here. :-)
I love them too but would never have one and not only because I can't afford one, lol. I did a big study of cars years ago I think because my husband always said ask Polly what car she likes best and she will say the red one! That is about true and since I have forgotten all I learned it still is. Accept I like the pale yellow ones now! Great hub James, as always, up and across!
Fantastic hub on a fantastic car. I really enjoyed reading the history of the Jaguar...as well as the awesome photos you attached to the hub. The picture of the 2011 Jaguar really jumps off the page. Maybe one day when I get all these kids out of the house....I can think big like I used to do before I got some many responsiblities. Voted up and awesome.
James A Watkins, This is incredible! I find it interesting how skillfully and adroitly you are able to take any subject and make it so very interesting! You most certainly have a “Gift of the Pen!” This is another marvelous lesson Professor! Spectacular presentation!
I now know why I have always liked the Jaguar! “The Jaguar car is world famous for its stylish designs; thrilling performance; luxurious and comfortable interiors; outstanding handling and ride; quality engineering and state-of-the-art technology. No other automobile manufacturer has been as remarkably successful at creating both the world's finest luxury sedans, as well as some of the world's most beloved sports cars.” It truly is a well crafted, secure automobile!
I think the combination of Sir Lyons musical background and love for fine automobiles produced a car that sings… It is a gorgeous automobile!
Thank You for sharing, In HIS Love, Grace, Joy, Peace & Blessings!
MaryCola— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
Sunshine625— John's planes are old, from the 60s. They are just like having a classic car. In good weather, he will take one out and fly it around to keep it loose. But when he and his wife and children fly around the world it is my Dad who is flying them; many times John sits in the co-pilot seat; sometimes not. My Dad was with them when their son died.
funmontrealgirl— I enjoyed your sentence: "At the time you kind of needed a mechanic in your trunk."
Funny! But that was true back in the day.
Thank you for your sharp comments. It is always good to hear from you. :D
JT Walters— I don't know if I told you this, but I left Florida two years ago after 18 years as a Floridian. I see that is where you are from.
Thank you, JT, for the compliment. I am glad you enjoyed the Hub.
James
You ve done a great job James. I love Jaguar and i love the photos. You ve taken me on a great tour and history of one of the finest cars in the world. Maybe i will own one someday. Voted useful and awesome. Bless you dear friend
Hi James, thanks for sharing this well written hub about the beautiful Jaguar car i enjoyed reading it . I like the older Jaguar cars better then the new ones .
Have a great weekend my friend !!!
I had to forward this to my nephew who loves Jaguars. Great photos and history.
Peggy W— Hello, Peg!
I would say that your husband has impreccable taste. The XKE still looks magnificent today. And yes: those old Jaguars are quite loud.
Thank you very much for taking the time to to check out my Hub. I enjoyed reading your thoughtful comments. :-)
H P Roychoudhury— Thank you for your thoughtful, insightful comments. I see that the "Nano" only costs $3000!! That is amazing.
I was just now reading up on Tata Motors and was surprised to see that they also have manufacturing plants in Argentina, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Fascinating.
It is always a distinct pleasure to hear from you, my friend.
prasetio— You are quite welcome. I did go to read your Hub on Supercars and it is fabulous!
Thank you very much for the accolades, as well as the voted up. I appreciate it each time to visit one of my humble Hubs, my friend. God Bless You!
James :D
Polly! Great to hear from you. Thank you for your gracious compliments and the voted up and across.
I always appreciate it when you let me know you have read and enjoyed one of my articles. I'll be seeing you soon over at your Hubs. :-)
Cogerson— Thank you very much for the voted up and awesome, as well as the laudations.
Yes, the 2011 Jaguar does indeed jump off the page.
I am glad that you enjoyed this Hub and mentioned your appreciation of my photo selections. Jaguar has always made fantastic cars.
DeBorrah K. Ogans— You are quite welcome, my dear. Your most wonderful comments never fail to bring a broad smile to my face. You wrote:
"I think the combination of Sir Lyons musical background and love for fine automobiles produced a car that sings."
What keen discernment you have!
Gosh, you have made my day with your gracious accolades. "Gift of the Pen." I love it!
Thank you ever much for your ongoing affirmation and encouragement. God Bless You! :-)
ubanichijioke— Thank you, kind sir. I surely appreciate the "voted useful and awesome" as well as your blessings.
I am glad you enjoyed the tour, the history, and the photographs of the Jaguar car. God Bless You.
James
kashmir56— Hello there! You are quite welcome. I am well pleased that you enjoyed this piece. The older Jaguars have a certain charm that might be missing today.
Thank you for visiting and commenting.
lefseriver— Wow! A blast out of the past. I hadn't heard from you in a long time. You were one of the first people I interacted with on HubPages. Great to hear from you! I hope your nephew enjoys this article. Thank you for letting me know you were here and for the accolades. :D
you always seem to give the right amount of background mixed in with the perfect blend of facts...I will take 1 XKR to go but I cannot trade in my jeep :) Great job friend...
mtsi1098— Thank you for the kind compliments. I appreciate you coming by to read my article on the Jaguar car. It is good to hear from you again. :D
James A Watkins,
This is one of my husband's favorite cars! I will be sure to share this with him. And yes, you must attend the Midwest Car Show - Classics and Chrome.
Another fine and fantastic hub my friend.
GmaGoldie— Awesome! The Jaguar is my favorite car too. I hope your husband enjoys this article, and the gallery of gorgeous machines.
You educated me about that car show through one of your Hubs and I do plan to attend next April (I think it is).
Thank you for the accolades! :-)
My brother has a 2004 XJR Jaguar (Ebony) - he is crazy about it and me - not so much. I like my 07 Toyota.
Well written history Hub - great photos. I never knew Clark Gable had a Jag - I could see Mick Jagger owning one.
James,
This is a fabulous article on my all time dream car! I am even bookmarking so I can refer to until I achieve the real thing... perhaps with my Hub earnings (LOL!)
Voted UP & UABI. All my best, mar.
Awesome hub, sporty, yet classy car! : ) Love this one, the photos and the car. Makes one dream, doesn't it? ahhh!
Deb Welch— I think Mick Jagger did indeed own a few Jaguar cars.
Thank you so much for visting my Hub and for your thoughtful remarks. I appreciate your gracious compliments. :D
marcoujor— I so appreciate your voted up and UPBI! Thank you for considering this Hub worthy of your Bookmark.
Faithfully Yours,
James :D
september girl— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
This is one beautiful car. Great hub, and breath taking pictures. God Bless You my brother, and your precious family.
stars439— It is that. I am glad that you appreciate the photographs. Thank you for visiting and for your warm words. :D
I love old Jaguars, but not so much the newer ones. The rebadged Fords are just terrible and a disgrace to the brand. The XKE and XKSS (the road version of the D-Type, Steve McQueen famously owned one) are my favorites.
I am DB Cooper— Welcome. Thank you for swinging by to take a look at my gallery and article about the Jaguar cars. Many a purist feels the same way as you about the newer Jaguars. I appreciate your comments. I am glad that you stopped in.
My Granddad (who has recently passed) has a 1952 Jaguar Mark VII. Does anyone know what this car is worth? Its not in the greatest shape but does have all the original parts and it does run.
angeladhickman@yahoo.com— That is awfully hard to say. One in immaculate condition with 54,000 miles on it can be had for $95,000. With a car such as that, condition and how much of it is original equipment, and how many miles are on it make a huge difference. It runs—thats good.
I see one sold for $75,000 recently but it was very clean.
I see one sold for $17,500 that was rough looking.
Thank you for your response. Do you know where the best place to sell it would be? We are trying to help my Grandma and none of us really have a clue how to go about getting the car sold for her.
angelahickman@yahoo.com— You are quite welcome. Where roughly are you located? In the US? In the Midwest?
ebay might be a good place no matter where you are. I might have other ideas based on the location of the car where people can come to look at it.
The Car is in Southern California. In Apple Valley. I'm in Northern CA but have someone there that can show the car.
angelahickman@yahoo.com— I would run ads in the LA Times on line, and in the Autotrader magazine. Another idea is an ebay auction. But perhaps the first thing I would do is contact the Jaguar Club of America. People who love, collect, and restore Jaguars belong to that organization. Good luck!
Great info James, the pics are awesome :)
dilipchandra12— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
loved to know the history of jaguar
Thell Stars— Thank you!! Thank you very much! :D
great info man....pics look great too
Kent Clarke— Thank you very much!! Welcome to the HubPages Community.
Wayne Brown Level 7 Commenter 8 months ago
Great stuff, James...I learned much here. I cannot imagine a car mogul at 22 years old producing a vehicle which has last this long...a visionary in one sense. One thing I noticed about the Jaguar sedan many years ago was that it had dual fuel tanks. I thought it was rather neat until I dated a young lady who owned one. Then I realized that the two tanks were mandatory due to the poor gas mileage of the vehicle. The British tend to make their larger vehicles like tanks...I suppose they rust more slowly such is the case with the Jag. It seems when everyone else is using sheet metal the Brits are still working in cast iron. The lines of the car are superb in so many models and there are many classics out there. That feature seems to hold true even in the current Jags of today...still great lines. I wonder if they have done anything to improve the fuel economy. Thansk for this great piece....a nice journey. WB