1953 Jaguar MK VII based Classic Roadster, Racer or Kitcar

1953 Jaguar MK VII Description

This auction is to sell a rather unique – some may say strange, others may say very interesting - Jaguar MK VII special. I have owned the car for some 30 years and all this time I did not finish building it. So, it’s a long story. Here goes.

I came from the UK, to work as a professor at Syracuse University in 1986. Back in the UK, in the 1960’s and 1970’s I built and raced a special car based on the chassis and mechanicals of a 1936 Bentley 4 ¼ litre, converting thesedan to a racing "WO Bentley" style of open body. Shortly after moving to Syracuse, NY, in 1986, I saw an advertisement to sell a 1953 Jaguar MK VII sedan which had been “flattened” when the barn in which it was garaged collapsed on top of it. The roof was caved in and the sun-roof no longer fitted. It was then left in the open for a year or more, so the rain entering through the roof destroyed the seats and other trim. But the chassis and all mechanicals were not damaged. I bought the car, removed the sedan body and started to recreate a racing special along the lines of the Bentley I had built previously.

That was 30 years ago. Other duties at work, plus a string of other cars including Jaguar E-types, Bentley S-types and a variety of specials and kit cars, interfered with my plans so that the MK VII racing special was never completed. Now, as I am getting old and do not even live where the car is stored, the Mk VII needs to find a new owner – either someone who likes what they see in the attached photos and would finish building a special, or someone who needs a spare engine, transmission, axles and all other parts in order to fix or restore MK VII sedans (which, unlike 30 years ago, are now worth big money).

The photos show what is included in this auction:

- complete MK VII rolling chassis with all ancillaries, including original radiator, steering wheel, carburettors, plus some extra bits and pieces like spare fuel pumps and generators that I collected over the years;

- a chrome radiator grille from a Jaguar MK V car, in very good condition;

- a complete fibreglass body shell, with fenders and other parts, in the style of a 1930’s open top car, probably 2-seater plus a “dicky seat” for extra passengers that will fold into the trunk (NOTE: this body was built professionally in the USA as a replica of pre-war bodywork to be fitted to a “dirt” race car – therefore, although doors are indicated in the panels, they do not open – my plan was to reinforce the fibreglass bodyshell with an internal - wood or tubular - frame, so that the doors could be cut out of the main bodyshell and hinged to open, and make other changes so that the body would serve exactly like an original 1930’s roadster body should).

- the rolling chassis currently sits on a trailer – see photos - although this is not really a part of the Jaguar auction, if the buyer would like to just leave the car and its parts on the trailer as they are now stowed, and just tow the lot away, I am open to offers for the trailer – any offers – just a few bucks.

The car is registered in my name and, up to 1996/97, I was renewing the registration. Back in 1953, cars did not have Title documents like today – instead they had a small yellow registration document. On this the car is already registered as a 1953 Jaguar MK VII Convertible. The registration number (equivalent to VIN?) is 735376BW. There is another long number on the document, which reads 3696 G6 AB908423 (I am not sure what this stands for).

If you have any questions, please contact me either through the eBay ad or preferably directly by email, which I tend to answer much more promptly. I am a Syracuse University professor, now retired, not living in Syracuse and almost always travelling, but I still use my university email ID (ajromisz) and server (syr.edu) - string these together with the "at" symbol and you have my electronic address. If you are a Skype user, you can call me for free even if I am travelling overseas - use the name alexromi3 - and if you would like to visit and inspect the car before the end of the auction, let me know as soon as possible and I will send you the name, address and phone number of the owner of the barn where the car is stored, so you can contact him directly. The car is stored on a farm just a few minutes by car from Syracuse, NY.

I am starting the bidding at a very low price as I need to vacate the storage, so the car must be sold. However, the set of parts included in the auction, if sold separately, would go for several times this starting price, given the current value of classic cars. I am selling everything as one lot because I no longer live in Syracuse and do not wish to burden my Syracuse friends with the task of dismantling and selling parts to different buyers. However, I envisage that it may be the case that one person needs one specific item and another person needs another. If that is the case and you get in touch with me well before the end of the auction, I would be happy to put one in touch with another so you could arrange between yourselves to jointly purchase the lot and then divide it as appropriate amongst yourselves. Everything must be done to keep classic cars running, I believe. On the other hand, I rather hope that the whole set of parts sells to someone who is inspired to complete the racing special that I started to build. That would make me very happy.

Happy bidding to you all and good luck. Alex J Romiszowski

(P.S. Please also note that I am at this same time selling another car which is stored at the same address. This is an already assembled Replica Kit car which I bought as a job lot of special cars some 20 years ago. The others have gone, but this one remained. It is a replica of a 1936 Jaguar SS 100. The kit was manufactured and sold by a company called Antique and Classic, which stopped manufacturing this model of kit car about the year 2000. It is now quite a rarity - a “classic in its own right” just like the 1936 Jaguar SS100 roadster that it replicates quite faithfully. It is pretty well complete, but was never registered since it was built and has now been in storage for about 10 years. I mention this to alert readers to the other auction, in case you know anyone who might be interested. The ID number of this other auction is 122679367749. Thanks for your attention).