1950 Jaguar Mark V

William Lyons' SS Cars Ltd. was rebranded under the Jaguar name following World War II. Post-war production commenced in 1945 consisting (like most other manufacturers) of pre-war designs. One of the Jaguar projects was a cruciform-braced chassis with a torsion bar independent front suspension designed by the company's Chief Engineer William Heynes. There were no MK I to IV Jaguars, so the origin of the Mark V name remains somewhat mysterious, and the Mk IV title was given only to its precursor after the launch of the Mk V. Reportedly, William Lyons viewed five prototype bodies with various chassis experiments in the 1946-1948 period before he was satisfied with the result. In September of 1948, the Mar V was introduced to the press where it shared the stand with the XK120 at London Motor Show. During its first year of sales, the Mark V outsold the XK120 by around 5,000 units.

Although the Mark V retained a stylistic link to the SS cars that were built before World War II, they were also nearly all new. The only carryover was the famed 2.5- and 3.5-liter engine series inherited from the 1946 Jaguars. It had a 120-inch wheelbase chassis, fully hydraulic four-wheel Girling brakes, and newly developed 16-inch, 6.7-section Dunlop tire.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2019