Jaguar Mk IV Saloon

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One Sunday morning in 1970, George Jennings attached trade plates to this 1949 Jaguar Mark IV saloon and drove it the 30 or so miles from Moseley in Birmingham to Alveley, near Bridgenorth. The Jaguar had recently suffered a knock to the front off-side wing and Mr Jennings had to fit a temporary silencer and a battery for the journey - but the car made it to its new home at Paper Mill Cottages, where it resided for the following 49 years. The dent, the battery and the temporary silencer remain with the car.

Mr Jennings had intended to restore the car but life, as it so often does, got in the way. The Jaguar has declined a little - the bumpers have gone and the underside of the bonnet has a small hole where it has been in contact with the battery – but it is largely complete, original and ripe for restoration. It still has its rather nice number-plate, too: HVC 4.

The early history of the car is unknown and the buff logbook that accompanies it shows only owners between 1962 and 1969, all of them in the Midlands area. The last recorded owner, Philip Aldridge of Moseley, used the Jaguar as his everyday car for a year or so before buying a TR4 and selling the MkIV (some cash and an MG Magnette in part-exchange).

Even those with little knowledge of the MkIV will see that the car is in need of ‘some attention’, but it is an appealing prospect and will make a rewarding project. HVC 4 has the 1,776cc four-cylinder engine, which was the smallest option for the MkIV, but contemporary reports described it as being “the sweetest running car” and capable of cruising at over 60mph.

There is much to be done before the new owner can enjoy that performance, but Brightwells look forward to seeing the car back on the road in the hands of its new owner.