Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

Why is this car considered a "White Elephant?"

Opinions may vary, but I think this car is just amazing
photo source: Jaguar cars ltd.

I guess that would depend on how you define the term. Not all value should be expressed in dollars and cents. The value of this car to me, exceeds any auction results.

It's a lot easier to buy cheap unwanted cars then it is to sell them. If something "fantastic" comes up for sale, you've got jump on it while you can. You can always sell that other car some other time, right? Sure.


This old, forgotten Jaguar sedan called out to me from the automotive "personals" column commonly referred to as Craig's List. So what made that Mark VII so attractive to me?

Well first of all it IS a Jaguar. That alone gives it a lot of appeal and interest to me. Secondly it is a pre smog car, in this case a really, really,  pre smog test required car. As I've stated before, it's not that I don't care about the environment because of course I do. It's just that the requirement that it pass the smog test before the transfer of ownership is completed can sometimes delay things. Thirdly, it is a manual transmission model. Manual transmission cars are easier for the hobbyist to repair, I wanted to learn how to rebuild an auto transmission but haven't got there yet.

As it has always been, sedan models don't command the interest that the sport cars do. Four slams, no clams. Therefore they don't command the dollar values that the sports models do. Jaguars from this era that are of interest and value are the XK models: the 120,140, and 150.

I am cheating a bit. These FHCs are not as popular as the roadster.
 But the Classic Jaguar design cues are shared with the Mark VII.

Open cars rule. That's why my XJS is a convertible.

This is a Bentley Continental. It was released after the Mark VII was introduced.
Who was influenced by whom?

But the Mark VII is interesting. It is actually a cut rate Bentley competitor. The front end styling and flowing bodywork, capped off by the distinctive Jaguar signature curved rear roof treatment, are obviously meant to be aristocratic. In size, accommodations and luxury appointments it was conceived as a alternative to the Bentley or more conservative Rolls Royce. Upon first seeing it most people would mistake it for a Rolls. RR kept this same type of old fashioned, traditional styling until 1966, when they decided that the Checker cab look was an improvement. Jaguar had abandoned this type of pre war design by 1961 when the Mark X debuted. That design was a complete break from the earlier style and was controversial and not completely well received. During the Sixties, an even well into the Seventies, the pre '66 Rolls appearance was the definition of the atmosphere of great wealth and privilege. Movies and television programs would set the scene by having a chauffeured Rolls pictured on the screen. This was even spoofed by the unforgettable commercial and question, "Do you have any Grey Poupon?" Most viewers of a certain age have a clear recollection of that commercial.

This is the last traditional Rolls. As you can see they all kind of look similar.
Actually many British higher end car look like this, during the Fifties,
the Alvis, the Armstrong Siddley among others.

This was the contemporary Cadillac Fleetwood . These had the 133' wheelbase. This is actually a '53, which was the last year of this design, which started with the 1951 MY.  The earlier models had smaller  "bullet over riders."

Despite it's dignified and traditional styling, the Mark VII was the repository of the legendary Jaguar XK engine. In fact, the engine was designed specifically to power this sedan. The XK sports model, the XK120, was originally just supposed to provide "good press" for this power plant. This motor made the Mark VII one of the fastest sedans available the time. It was immediately used in competition. Then Mark VII placed 4th in the 1952 Rally of Monte Carlo, finally winning overall in 1956.

Overall Winner
1956 Rally of Monte Carlo

So this car had a legitimate performance and racing heritage. There are lots of new videos on you tube of Marks being raced at recent Goodwood events. It's not like they were racing contemporary Cadillac Fleetwoods!

The XK 120 used a shorter version of the Mark VII chassis, brakes, and suspension. The Mark uses torsion bar springing and as I was surprised to see when I looked underneath, ball joint suspension. As well as the drive train; motor and four speed manual transmission are shared with the sports model. The low values of saloon models and interchange of components has led to so many Marks being used as donors for a sports car restoration, or replica car builds.

The unfortunate truth is that these cars are really very much "White Elephants." They cost many times more than an XK Type to restore, and even when properly restored, are worth far less. From an economic standpoint then, most "investors" (speculators, flippers, etc.) will avoid putting any money into them. That makes a lot of sense, it's easy enough to lose money even when dealing with popular cars.

My particular car had been offered on CL for over a month before I stumbled upon it. The original ad didn't include any pictures and the seller later e-mailed them to me. What really caught my eye was that it was a manual transmission example. The best thing was that the car was complete and unmolested. All the parts were there attached and that it had been a running car before it was parked. My first encounter with my future car was in the seller's backyard, it had been covered with a car cover and several tarps. The last registration year was 1991! Now I don't know if it had spent all those twenty six years out in the yard and I didn't ask. I'm thinking (and hoping) that it may have spent some of that time in the garage, then driveway, then curbside, being being banished to the back forty.

It has a great story. The seller's father was a British car guy and bought this car brand new. It was used as an everyday driver until the 1990s,  The seller told me that this was the car that they took family vacations together, he had learned to drive in this car. The seller told me that his Dad drove this car until he found the effort of operating the clutch and unassisted brakes uncomfortable. Assuming that his Dad probably bought this car when he was at least thirty years old, and drove to for at least forty years, that would be understandable. The next car to replace the Mark, was a Bentley! (an automatic, I imagine). So I get to be the second owner!

Overall the car looks pretty good, I've only found some moderate rust in the rt. front door sill. Some of the door bottoms have some bubbling which isn't unexpected. The car had been repainted and reupholstered in blue vinyl when the original leather wore out. Interestingly, the original owner has added a bunch of little improvements, transistorized ignition, extra gauges and a cassette stereo. I discovered a switch box and  various toggles placed under the dash. I will have to discover what their various functions are.

The car has a lot of surface rust and of course it was filthy. My first job was clean it out and wash it. I pulled the plugs and put some Marvel Mystery Oil in the cylinders and let it sit overnight. I hooked up the battery from the XJS and pressed the starting button. The motor spun over eagerly! Now I have to clean and flush the fuel lines and tanks, change the oil, and rebuild the brakes and clutch hydraulics. My plan is to get the car running and further evaluate it's condition. It needs lots and lots of things, but I'll take it one area at a time.

One thing is for certain. Not only am I a custodian of a bit of British automotive history, I have a deep well of content for further blog posts. More to come.