The Mark VII chassis came from the Jaguar Mark V and the wheelbase remained the same at 10 feet (3,048.0 mm).

The new model's body looked more streamlined, with integrated headlights and mudguards, a two-piece windscreen, and longer rear overhang.

As on the Mark V, the rear wheels were partially covered by removable spats.Whereas the Mark V had a pre-war pushrod engine originally developed by the Standard Motor Company, the Mark VII was powered by the newly developed XK engine.

First seen in production form in the 1948 XK120, the 3442 cc DOHC straight-six provided 160 bhp, the same as in the XK120, and the saloon's claimed top speed was over 100 mph.When the car was being developed Jaguar thought it would find most of its customers overseas, mainly because UK car tax at that time penalised buyers of larger-engined cars.

However it went into production just as Britain's post-war economic austerity began to ease, and in 1951 the car's enthusiastic reception in both the British and Am...