1948 Jaguar 3.5L Saloon RHD “Mk IV"

Jaguar Saloon History

The name 'Jaguar' was first used by SS Cars Ltd in 1936 for its sleek new sports model, the 'SS Jaguar 100' (SS100). The 'SS' in the company name had provenance in the company's origins - the Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company. The name 'Jaguar' was also adopted for a range of pre WW2 saloons built by SS Cars. The saloons were marketed as the Jaguar 1½ litre, Jaguar 2½ litre and Jaguar 3½ litre.

The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 saw SS Cars turn its production capabalities to supporting the war effort by maunufacturing and repairing war-damaged aircraft fuselage and wings, and other military vehicles including sidecars and trailers. By war's end, the name 'SS' had become a major liability and so the company adopted 'Jaguar' as the company's name.

Post-war, the rebranded company Jaguar recommenced manufacturing cars for the domestic market by building upgraded versions of the 1938-39 saloons. Compared to the pre-war models, the new saloons had some significant changes including an upgraded stronger chassis, all-steel bodies, and improvements in the suspension.

The name 'Mark IV' was unofficially applied retrospectively to differentiate the post-war saloons from the preceding 1930s saloons, and the succeeding 'Mark V' range.

The Vehicle For Sale

The vehicle for sale was originally delivered to Mr. E.W.S. Scott on 29 January 1949. It is presumed that the car was sold to Mr. Scott by Bryson Industries in South Australia. Bryson Industries had showroooms in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne and was owned by Jack Bryson who was the founder of Jaguar Cars in Australia. When Jack died in 1971, Jaguar's Sir William Lyons posted a tribute in Australian newspapers.

The Mk 4 was later sold on to Mr. Edward Spencer of Dartmoor in Victoria. By 1973, the car had been onsold and by the 2000s the MK 4 resided in Mount Gambier, South Australia. Decades later the Mount Gambier owner and his son aspired to restore the treasured Mk 4 together, and the car was dismantled as shown in the photo gallery. Time marched on, and the unsatiated project stayed dismantled in the garage. After owning the car for 46 years, the now retired owners were moving house which precipitated the need for the car to be sold.

The new owner aspired to have Finch Restorations build a customised racing Special with the disassembled 'project car'. The current owner's aspirations were put on hold for two years due to COVID-19 restrictions and the project has had to be shelved.

As can be seen in the photo gallery, the car and components appear to be in excellent condition and many new replacement parts had been purchased by the father and son for their restoration project. As the car has been recieved in a disassembled state, it is not known if all of the components are included. The photos in the gallery suggest that the amateur restorers did a fastiduous job itemising and storing the components as the car was dissassembled which gives confidence to the completeness of parts to be found in the containers.

The current state of the engine is unknown but it was planned to recondition the 3.5L pushrod engine as a short production run of reconditioning other 3.5L Jaguar engines. We are currently building a supercharged version of the same engine for an SS100 we are building for a Florida client, as well as a conventionally aspirated version. Alternatively, a new owner may like to consider a conversion to electric drive.

This very well-preserved 'matching numbers' Mk4 represents an execllent opportunity for either a full restoration or, as it is already disassembled, the car could equally be utilised as a Special per the current owner's aspirations.

The vehicle is currently located in Finch's storage facility in Mount Barker, South Australia, and so we confidently offer the vehicle for sale on behalf of the owner.

The purchaser may purchase outright or elect to have the vehicle restored by us to a level of their choice, or have it transformed into a Special. Once complete, we will then arrange all documentation and shipping anywhere worldwide.

Should you wish to make an offer on the vehicle and discuss restoration, please do not hesitate to call or email.

A sale price will be discussed upon application.

Costs of restoration or conversion will be discussed upon application.