1960 Jaguar Mark IX Saloon
Registration no. ZV 78540 (Republic of Ireland)
Chassis no. 775853BW
Engine no. NE17118

Work on Jaguar's new advanced saloon had been interrupted by the war, and it was not until 1950 that the design saw the light of day as the Mark VII. A considerable improvement on what had gone before, the cruciform-braced chassis featured torsion-bar independent front suspension and all-round hydraulic brakes. The 3.4-litre six-cylinder XK engine had already demonstrated its prowess in the XK120 sports car and proved capable of propelling the Mark VII's not inconsiderable bulk past 100mph. Developed and refined through Marks VIIM and VIII, the last word in Jaguar's large, separate-chassis saloons - the Mark IX - appeared in 1958, by which time the 220bhp version of the 3.8-litre XK six was standard equipment together with power-assisted steering and all-disc braking. A choice of manual or automatic transmissions was offered, the latter option, which is fitted to the car offered here, being by far the most popular. Motor magazine wound its test Mark IX up to 114mph and was equally impressed by the performance of the car's disc brakes. 'Should the driver wish to pass any other road user travelling at 100mph he can do so with a margin of some 15mph and should he wish to get down from 100mph to 30mph he can do so infallibly within 15 car lengths on a dry road.' Production of the Mark IX ceased in 1961.

This late Mark IX saloon was purchased by the current owner circa 20 years ago and has been carefully stored since then apart from occasional wedding use, covering fewer than 5,000 miles while in the vendor's ownership. The car was originally registered in the UK as 'THL 616' and subsequently as 'RFO 433', and is currently registered in the Republic of Ireland. Described by the vendor as 'partially restored' with various work done during his ownership, the Jaguar is finished in two-tone grey with original red leather interior, while noteworthy features include automatic transmission and a sunroof. The car is offered with Irish registration papers, a photocopy of the original UK buff logbook, and a quantity of MoT certificates supporting the recorded mileage of 49,170.