The 1949 Jaguar Coupé MK V Cabriolet, registration number MA-25-75, belongs to Afonso Tavares da Silva.
It was originally purchased in England. This vehicle arrived in Porto Santo for use by the family on vacation. The disembarkation took place on the beach, in front of the residence, on one of the carreireiros which then transported cargo between Madeira and the "Golden Island" and vice-versa. Throughout its long life, the car underwent a major restoration from 2002 to 2004.
The Jaguar Mark V is a luxury car built by Jaguar Cars Ltd in Coventry, England, between 1948 and 1951. It was available in a 4-door saloon version, as well as a 2-door convertible known as the ‘Drop Head’. It also had Coupé models, both versions with capacity for 5 adults. It was the first Jaguar with independent front suspension, the first with central disc wheels, the first with smaller and wider 16" wheels, the first to offer sealed headlamps and indicators for the American market, and the last model to use the pushrod engines. The Mark V was presented to distributors and the press on September 30, 1948. It would be launched on October 27, 1948 at the London Motor Show, at the same time as the announcement of the Jaguar XK120, with which it shared the stand. The XK120, while not quite production-ready, was the highlight of the event. As a matter of fact, the choice of the name was made after the president and chief stylist William Lyons (Sir William after 1956) and his team of workshop assistants, known as panel beaters, assembled 5 body prototypes, after various chassis experiences, in the period 1946-1948. The choice fell on the number one was known as Mark V in internal documents. While the XK120 had a new XK engine with an overhead camshaft, the Mark V retained the 1946-48 driveline, including the 2½L and 3½L overhead valve straight-6 pushrod engines produced since 1946 by Jaguar, which the company purchased from Standard Motor Company before World War II and the 4-speed single helical gearbox produced by Jaguar and the Moss Gear Company of Birmingham. The automatic transmission was not available at that time. The standard 1½L engine used in earlier models was not featured in the Mark V. The claimed power was 102 bhp for the 2664 cc Mark V and 125 bhp for its popular 3485 cc sibling. The chassis structure was new with deep box sections and crossbars to improve rigidity in handling and curving the vehicle, as well as independent front double wishbone suspension and torsion bars, which would be used by Jaguar in many future vehicles. Welds and brackets are provided for left and right steering wheel brake and clutch pedal pivots, so the chassis can be assembled in either combination. It also has hydraulic brakes, necessary with independent suspension, which Jaguar was slow to adopt compared to other manufacturers, and an all-steel pressed bodywork in the saloon car. Another novelty was that the rear part of the chassis was set over the rear axle to provide greater movement and more comfort, whereas in previous models it was suspended. Car styling followed pre-war SS-Jaguar lines with vertical chrome grille and the Jaguar radiator cap mascot was available as an option. The wheels were a 16-inch (410 mm) steel disc type, significantly smaller than the 18-inch (460 mm) wheels on the MK IV. On the side, in a distinctive styling touch, the saloon presented a "bent" curve at the base of the rear side window following the curved profile of the side window, a feature retained on many subsequent models. The Mark V was available in 12 single colours, in various combinations with 7 upholstery colours, but the factory did not offer two-tone treatments, nor whitewall tires. Two cars were made by the factory in two-tone schemes and 32 others in various special colours, for unknown reasons. Others may have been repainted in two tones by US dealers before or after the sale, as well as with the whitewall tires. The name Mark V was always printed on company documents as a Roman number V, never an Arabic number 5. Interestingly, until then, there had never been a MK I to IV model at Jaguar. The MK IV designation was only given to its predecessor after the launch of the Mark V.
10,499 Jaguar Mark Vs were produced.
Datasheet Year: 1948 Brand: Jaguar Model: Coupé MK V Cabriolet Country: England License plate: MA-25-75 Engine: 2664 cc Gearbox:4