Gregor Wenner
Specialist Consultant
LOT 165
1947 Jaguar Mark IV 3½-Litre Drophead Coupé Chassis no. 617098
Sold for €36,800 inc. premiumLot to be sold without reserve
Lot 165
1947 Jaguar Mark IV 3½-Litre Drophead Coupé
1947 Jaguar Mark IV 3½-Litre Drophead Coupé
Chassis no. 617098
Chassis no. 617098
• One of only 184 RHD 3½-Litre dropheads built
• Restored in Switzerland around 2000
• Belgian registration documents
• Restored in Switzerland around 2000
• Belgian registration documents
Footnotes
Like the majority of Britain's motor manufacturers, Jaguar Cars, as William Lyons' SS concern had been renamed in 1945, commenced post-war production with a range of pre-war designs. Essentially stopgap models pending the arrival of an entirely new generation of Jaguars, these comprised the compact 1½-Litre and the 2½/3½-Litre model, retrospectively known as the 'Mark IV'. Built on a generous 120" (3,048mm) wheelbase, the Mark IV retained a separate chassis featuring beam front and live rear axle suspension on semi-elliptic springs, and Girling mechanical brakes. The stylish all-steel coachwork was available in saloon or drophead coupé forms and featured the kind of luxurious and well-appointed interior that would become a Jaguar hallmark. Used by SS Cars since 1934, the engine was Standard's rugged seven-bearing six, which in Jaguar specification was fitted with a Weslake overhead-valve cylinder head and was coupled to a four-speed manual gearbox. In 3½-litre form the sturdy Mark IV could exceed 145km/h.
Told by the post-war government to export, the British motor industry responded valiantly, none more so than Jaguar, soon to become the UK biggest US dollar earner. Indeed, Jaguar Mark IV drophead coupe was built almost exclusively for export, the majority being allocated to the USA. Production spanned little more than a year (1947-1948) during which period only 184 Mark IV 3½ -Litre drophead coupés were built in right-hand drive configuration, plus a further 317 LHD cars, 49 of which were delivered in Complete Knocked Down (CKD) form.
In his definitive book on the marque: SS & Jaguar Cars, written in association with Jaguar Heritage using their detailed archives, Allan Crouch states that there are only 46 right-hand drive 3½ -Litre drophead coupés left in the world, making this exclusive variant among the rarest of all Jaguar post-WW2 production cars.
This example is presented in two-tone light over dark blue with blue soft top and beige interior. In 1993 the car was registered in Belgium and sold to Switzerland that same year for a then staggering 1.100.000 BEF (the equivalent of €27,000). The car was restored around 2000 and on the road again in 2002 according to a Swiss valuation report on file (dated September 2002) confirming the car was in excellent restored condition with body and interior restored and the engine freshly rebuilt. The car remained in Switzerland until 2017 when it was bought by its current Belgian owner for €89,000.
This rare 3½-Litre Drophead coupe comes with an owners manual; its old Swiss plates; some invoices for work carried out by marque specialists between 2002-2007; a copy of its old Swiss (2002) and old Belgian registration documents (1993); and its current Belgian registration documents.
Additional information
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