Wow, is this car classy looking! And with only one real deviation from stock, I’m surprised it’s not bringing more money yet. It’s listed here on eBay with bidding starting at $9,500 and, surprisingly, no reserve. The drophead is located in Middle River, Maryland, which isn’t far enough away to save my car bank account, but luckily for you folks there’s not much in there right now! So I’ll live vicariously through you–but you have to write us and tell us if you buy this car! 
If anything, it’s even classier with the top up! The immediate post-war Jaguar cars, while still retaining their pre-war drive train (more about that later) offered independent front suspension and (finally) hydraulic brakes within a modernized but still fairly traditional looking body. If you see shades of Bentley in the styling, you would be correct.
Those cabriolet bars are pretty obvious from the rear, aren’t they? This car looks to be in terrific cosmetic shape, although the seller tells us this is a restoration/refurbishment rather than an original survivor. It’s covered only about 1,000 miles since the work was done and it shows.
Although Jaguars are mainly thought of as driver oriented cars, this one certainly could have been used to take the gentry around town as well. That being said, the front seat is probably of more interest to the typical enthusiast. From what I could find online, this is pretty typical for the original style upholstery for these cars (I would have expected something a little more ornate).
Pretty wood, no? I like it, anyway. Interesting that the tachometer winds backwards, at least to me. According to the seller, even the radio and trafficators (semiphore-type turn signals) work well.
Remember that earlier comment about the drive train being pre-war? Not in this case! Somewhere along the line, a twin-cam XK engine has been substituted for the original pushrod unit. To me, this makes perfect sense, especially since the XK120 was being made at the same time. While I have found several references to a few Mk. Vs having been built with the XK engine, the eventual successor to the Mk. V was the Mk. VII, which was a whole new body as well. Trivia time: there was no “Mk. VI” as that was Bentley’s lead model at the time.
Ultimately, this Mk. V is a car that should have existed but didn’t. That works for me; how about you?
Damn! – I would love to get my hands on this car – the TwinCam makes it even better! Too many project cars. Best of luck to the ultimate buyer
I love Mark Vs. I think the cabriolet and sedan (yes, FOUR doors) are amongst the prettiest post war cars ever made. I wouldn’t even care if it had a Toyota engine in it!
A nice — and sensible — conversion! Enough power to make it a decent driver, but not enough to necessitate upgrading brakes, suspension, tires, etc. Beautiful car, if a bit too rich (justifiably so) to suit my current bank balance.
If one HAS to do an engine swap, this is the way to do it.
I’ll go way over 50K.. I owned this ’49 4-Door years back, wish I’d never sold it :(
lust.
My father owned three 1948 Jag “drop heads” and a parts car in the 1970’s at the same time. One was even silver with red interior. I remember a school shop teacher from Canada bought one of them and the parts car. I can still picture it leaving the driveway. They were really nice and the other two were black and completely original. I wonder where they are today……..
Not sure when they switched? but if this pretty Jag still has mechanical, not hydraulic brakes I’m not sure the engine swap was a good idea LOL.
Someone posts my favorite car finally!
My dad had one in 1954 with dull pale yellow over red.
It’s a mash up of just plane handsome lines over a 3 position top experience.
I still have the dealer pamphlet from it . Hand drawn renderings with stats on the back in a Jaguar envelope. One is pale yellow, this silver on another, and black over green.
My heart be still……
The Mark V had hydraulic brakes.
well its gone from eBay without a trace