21/10/2009 - W de Forte drives a 1950 Jaguar Mk V

Jaguar Mark Five

Possession of a Jaguar motor car used to be a signal of achievement and one of the most desirable things in a man's life. As well as providing an exhilarating means of transport, a Coventry cat was a beautiful object to behold and envious looks just add to the pleasure. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of showing off!

Now there have always been chaps who have considered Jaguars to be a tad vulgar, but under autocratic boss Sir William Lyons, the midlands firm built motor cars which gripped the imagination of millions of motorists by the magic of their name alone. Alas, this is no longer the case! Bill Lyons' stylish cars were always sold at a price that would appear to invite certain bankruptcy, but in fact the man was a genius. By underselling his more mundane domestic opposition and exotic foreign rivals alike, Lyons' oft repeated trick was to offer dramatic looks and stimulating performance at a relatively attainable price.

When the art deco style Jaguar XK120 sports car was introduced to an astonished world at the Earl's Court Motor Show in September 1948, the firm's other new model at the exhibition was rather put in the shade. The pretty little two seater was to become a landmark car in Jaguar's illustrious history and it is still revered today, but in those post war years, the comparatively staid Mark V saloon which first appeared at the same time, was far more important to the Coventry firm's immediate future and precarious bank balance.
It was hardly surprising the little XK attracted all the plaudits. Apart from its show stopping appearance, its stupendous new double overhead camshaft engine, which was to remain in production for more than 35 years, and went on to power such Jaguar classics as the Mark Two, XJ6 and E-Type, delivered mind-boggling performance. As was usually the case for us motoring scribes when writing about Jaguars, superlatives were the order of the day when I filed my copy for the show issue of 'The Auto'.

The Earls Court bash just two years later saw the first public appearance of the gargantuan Jaguar Mark VII which spelled the end for the Mark V (there was no Mk VI, there being a contemporaneous Bentley with that particular moniker). Consequently, the Mark V was a stop-gap model made for just three years. Today it is rather a forgotten Jaguar, which is to do it an injustice.

When motor car production resumed in 1945 it was essentially revamped pre-war models that creaked off Britain's assembly lines and modern replacements were desperately needed, not least by Jaguars of Coventry. The firm's colossal 1950s saloons were still on the drawing board and the hairy chested XK motor that was to propel them existed only on the test bench. There was little money in the bank and old Bill was in a bit of a bind.

His solution was to produce a modernised version of his pre-war type cars, still powered by their old fashioned six cylinder engines in 2.5 and 3.5 litre form, but with a new chassis and state of the art suspension. It was a compromise. 'Export or die' was the clarion call of British manufacturing in the post war years and Jaguar needed to earn US dollars to fill its coffers and help revive the near bankrupt British economy.

The new model may have looked similar to its immediate post war predecessor (the Mark IV, logically enough) but in fact it had no shared panels and boasted many new fangled features such as faired in headlamps and push button door handles. And, by virtue of its suspension design, it drove better than any Jaguar before it. But would Lyons' instinct for style and Jaguar's value for money policy make the car a success?

Surviving British Mark Vs are rare beasts indeed and it was with the greatest of pleasure that I learned of the availability of a fine 3.5 litre drophead coupe example for demonstration. On approach, one's first impression of HVS 826, which was first registered in 1951, is of a baroque coach. Very 1930s in appearance, this large motor car has graceful, flowing lines well suited to its well polished gunmetal grey paintwork. The Mark V is certainly an eye catcher in the 21st century.

If it is pretty on the outside, the interior is an olde worlde delight. The large cross spoked steering wheel features a charming Jaguar head on its prominent horn push and the pretty walnut dashboard features exquisite art deco lettering on its dainty dials which are bathed in a delicate violet glow at night. There is walnut garnishing throughout the cabin and sumptuous unpleated red leather upholstery fore and aft. As in most Lyons Jaguars, occupants are made to look and feel important in such splendid surroundings.

Under the side opening bonnet (this was the last Jaguar to be so equipped) , the 3.5 litre pushrod motor has Jaguar stamped on its block and it was indeed made at the Jaguar factory, but it was cast from 1930s tooling purchased by Lyons during the war from the extraordinary Captain John Black at the Standard Motor Company. Although lacking the outright urge of the XK powerplant, the old overhead valve straight six started easily and performed quietly and sweetly throughout the test. Not exactly a racehorse between the shafts, it was nonetheless quite capable of bowling along at 70mph without fuss.

The Moss gearbox is slow to operate but crunch free in skilled hands and its action suits the car, the hydraulic drum brakes are excellent and there is no need to apply a heavy boot. Besides, if anyone gets in the way, the Mk V has a horn of nautical volume and tonality! Some transmission whine is audible as the driver's ear becomes attuned to the car and there is a little lost motion at the steering wheel, but not enough to affect control. When driving some elderly motor cars it can be difficult to ascertain whether one is enjoying a vintage experience, or merely contending with the vagueness of old and tired components!

The Mark V rode like a battleship on any sort of decent surface and on Britain's dreadful B roads, which would be a disgrace in a third world country, the suspension soaked up bumps and rode over the many potholes with aplomb. And when I threw on the coals and began to push on through the twisty bits I was impressed how the car stuck to its line and by the absence of pitch and roll. This is by virtue of its fine independent front suspension inspired by Citroen's Light 15 (a splendid Chap's car already featured on these pages) and designed by Jaguar's engineering chief William Heynes.

As the revolution counter whipped around the dial I found myself back in the 1951 Monte Carlo Rally riding with privateer Irish racer Cecil Vard in his 3.5 litre Mark V saloon. Dubliner Vard and his chums finished third overall in the Monte that year, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact he swiped the car from his mother-in-law's drive and drove it across Europe to get to the start line!

The flickering orange fuel warning light snapped me out of my reverie and it was time to find some juice and head for home. It is a heavy car with a chassis made from two whopping great iron girders and its fuel consumption clearly plummets with hard use, but then again Jaguar owners have never normally been kept awake at night worrying about petrol bills!

In conclusion, reacquainting myself with the Mark V was a very great pleasure. This rare Jaguar has immense charm, quite gorgeous looks and offers extremely pleasant, comfortable motoring even today. But find one if you can! Its production run was short and most were sent across the pond.

Fortunately for Jaguar the car sold well in the USA and the 1949-1950 financial year saw record profits, 149% up on the previous 12 months. The turnaround was mostly due to the 'stop-gap' Mark V and Bill Lyons' strategy had clearly worked. His elegant blend of old and new was just the ticket.

The interim car earned thousands of US dollars and underpinned Jaguar's even bigger successes in the 1950s and 60s. It may be a rare motor car today but it was a crucial model in Jaguar's illustrious history.