1953 Jaguar Mk VII

Jul 17

Written By Katelyn McSherry

Nearly 70 years after this 1953 Jaguar MK VII was delivered new to its first owner, Dean Edmonds, Jr. ., Audrain CEO Donald Osborne was lucky enough to purchase the car from Mr. Edmonds estate in 2020. The car was delivered to Mr. Edmonds in Fairfield, CT, who then had it modified in 1955 to upgraded XK120M specification with high-lift camshafts, C-type head and XK120 carburetors from the factory. This car remains in remarkable original condition after only being driven less than an average of 1,000 miles a year for its 67-year life. While the XK120 is justly famed for its competition history, it was only initially intended as a test bed for the XK engine which was designed for the Mk VII sedan.

Jaguar’s humble beginnings originated from side car sales for motorcycles in the early 1920’s, and shifted to automobile manufacturing in the mid-1930’s. The first time Jaguar was used was as a model name, on the S.S. Jaguar 2 ½ Litre sports saloon. The company name was officially changed to Jaguar Cars Limited in 1945. Chairman William Lyons stated, “"Unlike S. S. the name Jaguar is distinctive and cannot be connected or confused with any similar foreign name."

Jaguar’s road car prominence was quickly established with the XK 120 in 1948, which was the fastest production car in the world when it was launched. Jaguar started the production of the Mk VII in 1951. Although it was very luxurious and sporty, it was less expensive than a Rolls Royce or Bentley. Even though it was a large car, the Mk VII was quite a successful racer. Famous racers Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorne raced the third iteration of it, the VIII, and won the 1956 Monte Carlo Rally.

The VII came standard with power steering and brakes, along with a radio and a heater. Its 160 horsepower was able to get the car to accelerate from zero to 60 around 13.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 100 mph, a pretty impressive sprint for a car of the time and size. Like the D-Type also on display these two cars stay true to Jaguar’s former tagline, Grace...Space…Pace….

Osborne / Garofolo Collection