READERS' CARS JAGUAR MKIV
Denis lives in an area of the capital now covered by the ULEZ zone. As his steed is over 40 years old, it is however exempt from the charge of £12.50 per day. Nevertheless, I wonder what it is like jostling with the daily London traffic and the attendant risks, as he has to every time the car goes out? It turns out that Denis takes it all in his stride, and assures me that the car is more than capable of keeping up even in its original form, though his does have a couple of sensible upgrades.
The car was rightly feted in the day, as its six-cylinder engine made it one of the fastest and most desirable production cars then available. That day was in 1948, when production of the DHC resumed. It had first been offered in 1938, but in the immediate post-war period Jaguar had concentrated on the export market and only offered the saloon version, which it appears were easier to build. When re-introduced, the Drophead was aimed at the US market, and in particular towards California. The cars were now for the first time simply called Jaguars, the SS title having been dropped for obvious reasons.
The cars were officially called the Jaguar 3½-Litre, though they have subsequently been rechristened the MkIV for reasons Ithat was built specially for him. The car had a coachbuilt body by Hooper with bullet-proof glass, extra headroom and a radio telephone. The car is now on display at the Sandringham Museum. Other famous 3½-Litre owners included Winston Churchill, and Cary Grant the Hollywood film star. A stellar list of owners then.
