I’ll admit that I don’t know my Jaguar models as well as I would like to. Some are obvious, others, not so much so. Today’s subject car is not identified other than a claim that it’s a 1953 Jag, and its current resting condition isn’t exactly helpful with model ID. So, with some sleuthing, I’ll declare this forest find as a 1953 Mark VII – or at least what’s left of one. Found in the wilderness of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, this Jaguar saloon is available, here on Facebook Marketplace for $10,000.
Offered between the 1951 and 1956 Model years, the Mark VII sold in limited numbers – about 30K total or 5K copies per year. With a 120″ wheelbase, the Mark VII was considered a full-size car and certainly looked its part with its streamlined flanks and curvaceous C-pillar. As to what happened to this example is anyone’s guess. Ditching a car in the woods seems to be more the province of ratty old Detroit passenger cars and light trucks, not a British luxury car but auto marques know no geography or setting, I guess. To sum it up, this thing is a wreck and it’s hard to imagine that anything positive will ever arise from it again – possible? Yes; probable? unlikely. It’s hard to get a thorough look at this hulk but the surface rust is obvious and it’s easy to assume that there is a lot more rot than what is visible, underneath is particular. Of note is the sun/moon roof – I honestly didn’t know such a feature existed so many years ago.
Usually, the sight of a Jaguar engine, such as the 3.4 liter DOHC powerplant that powered this Mark VII is a thing of engineering beauty but not in this case. I’ve never seen an engine compartment so completely filled with stuff that’s not supposed to be there. This listing states virtually nothing but does open with, “Vehicle does not run“. Oh, OK, I’m glad we got that out of the way. Assuming that it matters, a four-speed manual transmission is probably still in place.
The interior may as well be the exterior considering the amount of foliage that is now residing inside. The entire environment is completely destroyed. I don’t think that I have ever encountered a bigger mess, particularly one where the instrument panel has just rotted away. Other than the back seat and it’s not completely discernable but it’s unlikely that there is anything restorable or of value that remains.
There you have it, and for only $10K you too can commune with nature in true British style! Talk among yourselves and please comment as you see fit.
10K is $9,999 more than I’d pay for this pile.
It wouldn’t survive being pulled out of there, only thing to do would be to cut out any parts worthy of saving and walk away 🤪
ay carumba
You can’t be serious. It would cost a fortune just to make it a pile of junk. Someone has been sipping from the Skippy jar, That moonshine is power full stuff.
Tis the season to be smokin crack when pricing your junk! WOW!
Good luck even trying to move it.I think even the British wouldn’t try to rebuild this mess.
There is an art to recovery. Not all about how many lb. winch you have. An experienced tow operator can extract this and not do an ounce of damage.
I think this is interesting in the fact this is not the norm out in the woods. Would love to know the story on how and why it ended up where it is.
Just as there is an ass for every seat someone will be happy to have it. Not at $10K but who knows?
You’re probably right, but he’d charge $10k for the removal.
This a parts car at best. The sedans are expensive to restore and parts are that plentiful. Sometimes it makes more to spend more on a better car, much cheaper in the long run.
10k? Get tae. There’s some value in that it’s survived, but it’s been left in the woods for years. $100, maybe.
Minding my own business while reading this write up, I was fine until I got to 10K.
Whereupon I spit out out my warm eggnog and fell off my chair. Don’t worry.
I’ll be ok…
It has sat, and sunk into the Earth too long, especially with no windshield to protect the interior. The floors are likely Fred Flintstone style, not there or easily stepped through. Pulling and restoring the motor may be a longshot as well, have to be torn down to see if . . . . . .
$10k and they probably want you to remove it from the property by the end of the week with no help from them. If you want $10k, it’s going to have to be a movie car or Steve McQueen sneezed on it. Even BHCC winced.
Get some great photographs of it and sell posters/ puzzles. Best chance of making any money.
If it could be started maybe the fan blades will blow all the leaves out of the engine bay, Cheers
My brother has a couple of returning-to-the-soil TR-3 carcasses in the woods behind his home that he’s used for parts. They look better than this. And they look like hell.
This may be the most absurd Barn Find listing I have ever seen.
If you decide you must have this vehicle, I urge you to move it soon on a very cold day. Copperhead move much slower in December and January.
Very bad idea. The tires and lower body will be frozen to the ground. You will have to wait until the thaw. Been there done that.
A Forest Find.
R.I.P. Jaguar MK VII
Parts car at best. Lots of good details to help restore another car that is actually restorable. 10K ?!?! No way Jose or Hose B. As they say here in Brazil, he seller is “traveling on the mayonnaise”.
at least its left hand drive and a 4spd. That 4spd while not rare makes the car fun to drive as opposed to a tootler. This looks more like a “honey…I put it up for sale” listing. If its real easy to get out, this is a $1,000 parts car. If not, $500.
Nothing on it is rare and what is hard to come by isn’t there (like the front/rear windscreen chrome). The engine and gearbox along with the headlight/front lights and bumper look to be the only salvageable parts. The sheet metal might be, just depends on how much rust-thru there is as there was no protection (galvinized, zink, etc) from the factory. All that said, it looks complete enough and if the frame isn’t rotted away from sitting low then it may be restorable. BUT, to restore this, your going to have $50-$60,000 minimum in it and the market on a MkVII is about $40-50,000 fully restored.
Hahahahahahhahahahaha
Really? $10k?
How about you spend another $6k and get this instead?
https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/jaguar/mk-vii/2541515.html
and its at BHCC no less so that tells you its over priced to begin with
Sunroofs have been a common thing in Pommie cars since the 1930s.
At least you get some free timber with it through the windscreen to create a new dashboard!
There’s a reason someone threw it away in the woods . . . and a wise man would have just left it there!
Appears to me to be a right hand drive JagManBill. I’ld give $100 for the engine and trans if it was pulled out.
Kenn – at first I thought so too. But go on the FBM page and you’ll find that that photo is somehow flipped. There is a good clear pic where you can read the speedo and the wheel is LHD.
I used to want to restore almost any British car I saw – Now I look at them and say why would a person fix that? It’s a money hole at best. Now I look at a desirable car, and see reasons not to buy – sometimes even at $0. This fits the – would cost way too much to restore class.
A few years ago they couldnt give them away running …
Price has been reduced to $4,000. This car was not worth that much when new, or a few years later. Not 20 years, not 59 years later, and certainly not today. By the time one pays for it’s removal, those costs will exceed it’s actual cash value. Let it sleep in peace.
Or do what the guy in another southern state has done with his pile of similar condition cars: Charge $30 to see it!
For a couple of thousand, you could pick it clean where it is and still make a profit on what you cart out with you.
A good candidate for P Kumar.