1959 Jaguar MK IX Saloon

Last of the Big Cats from the Fifties, the Mark IX replaced the Mark VIII in October 1958, itself an evolution of the Mark VII originally launched back in 1950. The Mark VII had been a hit with buyers, both at home and in important export markets, right from the outset thanks to a combination of graceful styling, impressive performance, plentiful space - not to mention the relatively affordable price when compared with other luxury cars of the period. From the time of its launch, the big Jaguar underwent numerous revisions and improvements and the Mark IX saw two significant upgrades - firstly, the XK engine was bored out from 83mm to 87mm to increase overall capacity to 3.8-litres, boosting power to a healthy 220bhp and there was a big improvement in torque as well, useful given most Mark IXs came with Borg Warner automatic transmissions. Secondly, all this extra urge required better stopping power so the Mark IX had Dunlop disc brakes fitted on all four wheels, with a Lockheed vacuum servo and twin cylinder callipers. Other changes included Burman power-assisted steering as standard, better heating and ventilation and a two-speed fan to keep the engine cool. So the Mark IX wound up being the ultimate development of the classic luxury Jaguar saloon, remaining in production until 1961 and a total of 5,984 right-hand drive examples were built before the very different Mark X took over. Today, the Mark IX is a graceful reminder of an altogether more stylish era of motoring and an eminently practical, not to mention affordable, classic Jaguar saloon.