Description
By Nigel Thorley, Hardbound, 176 Pages, ISBN: 9781870979412, 1st Edition, 1994
- Second hand copy in excellent condition.
William Lyons had shown his sure touch for styling and for what the market wanted in the 1930s with his sleek, exciting SS sports cars and saloons. This unerring feel for what was right didn't let him down when his company, Jaguar, launched the Mark VII saloon in 1950. Here was a car that combined all the attractive qualities of Lyons' earlier offerings: good looks, good performance, and an unbeatable price. The car was fast, with a superbly designed, beautifully sculpted and right up-to the-minute engine; it was imposing and luxurious; and it was robust and untemperamental.
This was a winning recipe, and with regular updates the car remained a marketing success for some ten years. It gained some styling improvements — minimal but effective –which kept it looking modern, the engine gained in capacity and power, and disc brakes made stopping a less hectic affair, but it was still basically the same car when the Mark IX ceased production in 1961.
The Mark IX was replaced by the even bigger Mark X, whose looks again demonstrated Lyons' originality of thought. With independent suspension and disc brakes all round, the Mark X handled with a sureness remarkable in so large a luxury saloon, and won many friends, gaining a 4.2-litre engine in 1965 and the 420G designation in 1967. The last car was produced in 1970, two years after the XJ6 was launched.
Here acclaimed Jaguar writer and historian Nigel Thorley considers all models in this long-lived line of large Jaguar saloons. Development, prototypes, design, history and production changes are all dealt with, as well as competition history, one-offs, ownership and restoration. Also included are full specifications and performance figures for all models, and a chapter on the Mark X-based Daimler DS420 limousine.
With some 50 colour and 100 black-and-white illustrations, this is truly the Complete Companion to a fine range of cars.
