Grandad’s Jaguar MkIV to return home

A 1948 Jaguar first owned by the marque’s deputy chairman has been snapped up by his granddaughters 67 years later. The Jaguar MkIV was once owned by Arthur Whittaker and was sold at Historics Brooklands auction on 4 March to his four granddaughters, Lucy, Sally, Charlotte (pictured left to right above) and Sarah.

The car, which sold for £70k, will now reside in Kenilworth – just four miles from the former Jaguar factory at Browns Lane, Coventry, where it was first made.

‘Once we discovered grandad’s Jaguar was for sale, we just had to go and see it,’ says Sally. ‘We had no intention of buying it, but sitting in it before the sale brought back so many fond memories of family outings in his cars that we decided we just had to bid for it,’ she continued.

‘We’d never bought a thing at auction before, but were determined to take it home if we could afford to,’ added her sister Lucy. ‘It was all a bit of a whirlwind and suddenly, the hammer came down and it was ours.’

After Whittaker parted with the car in 1950, it passed through the hands of a number of owners before a complete, meticulous restoration started in 1982 by the previous owner. Twenty-two years later the car was finally completed, latterly by classic Jaguar specialist, David Davenport.

A fine tourer in its day, Whittaker’s car was one of the last to be produced.  It was specially trimmed in pigskin hide, complementing the stately burr walnut dashboard and fittings, and left the Browns Lane production line complete with a rare sunroof.  

Powered by a 3.5-litre six-cylinder engine, the Jaguar MkIV was praised for its graceful lines and on-road presence (mainly thanks to huge dinnerplate headlamps flanking the imposing chrome radiator.

So what will happen to the car now? The plan is to share enjoyment of the car among the families, including Whittaker's seven great grandchildren.