Where to start with this extraordinary car?

We honestly don’t think we‘ve ever seen a vehicle of this vintage that’s in this kind of exemplary, jaw-dropping, fabulous condition.

The only thing between this car and a trophy cabinet full of concours gongs, medals and cups is the fact that it’s had one or two improvements which, in the arcane world of concours, take it away from the Holy Grail of absolute authenticity.

Well, for what it’s worth, we think it’s all the better for its upgrades and improvements – ZF auto box, power steering, electronic ignition, dual Facet solid state fuel pumps, electric front seats, front discs, a digital odometer built-in to the Smiths’ speedometer, etc – all of which have been done with the utmost taste and discretion and no doubt go a considerable way to making this car even more satisfying to live with and enjoy.

It’s nothing short of a revelation, frankly.

The vendor’s late father bought the car in 2013 from a local Jaguar specialist who had been working on a piecemeal restoration of it driven by the then owner’s as-and-when expenditure.

When the vendor’s father took ownership, the car was a bare shell, an engine and mechanicals, and many, many boxes of parts.

Now then.

To most people, the prospect of taking the car from that shell and those boxes of parts to the glorious triumph of restoration we see today would be, to say the least, rather daunting.

But the vendor and his father were part of a family business that had 50 or so years of experience as automatic transmission specialists. They and their team had spent decades dismantling and re-assembling all sorts of vehicles and were perfectly placed to do everything engine, drivetrain, electrics and mechanicals-related.

The vendor’s father set out with the intention of restoring the car to the very highest standards and, while retaining as much authenticity as possible, enhancing and upgrading parts and systems where and when doing so would make the driving experience better, safer and more rewarding.

He has, without any shadow of a doubt in our opinion, succeeded on every conceivable level.

We have driven the car and can attest to its ability to do everything expected of a Mk VII M plus a few extras you won’t be expecting – things like changing gear, steering, handling and stopping far better than it would have done when it left the factory.

It starts on the button and purrs along effortlessly to a quiet and sophisticated soundtrack of pure class. 

This car is a showcase for the work of exceptional engineers, crafts-people and specialists, and a visual and mechanical masterclass in how to reimagine and create the best possible, and most usable, version of a fine old classic car.

It is pretty much without compare – outside, inside and underneath – and we’d be amazed if there’s a better example of a Mk VII M outside of a motor museum anywhere in the world.

All of the work was done in-house at the family business, except for the interior – where the work was given to the very best leather, wood, fabric and trim whisperers that (lots of) money could buy.

The quality of the work speaks loudly and eloquently for itself.

This is a car that has to be seen to be believed.

The graceful, curvaceous lines of the bodywork are just as they should be, and the panels, panel gaps and shut-lines are all even, consistent and crisp.

All four doors close with a weight and precision that is a true testament to the skills of the both the people who built it and those who restored it. 

The bodywork is wholly untroubled by any dinks, dents, creases, ripples or folds that we can see. 

Originally black when it was delivered new to a dealer in Fife, Scotland, in 1955, the car is now liveried in a lustrous metallic grey paint finish.

The paintwork is in excellent overall condition. 

There are one or two small stone chips around the front grille and the forward-facing aspects of the front wings. 

There are also a few tiny paint chips on the offside ‘C’ pillar and a few spots of paint have rubbed off at the rear of the sunroof surround.

The only ‘aberration’ of any consequence anywhere that we can see is a more sizeable (about as big as a pound coin) paint chip on the sill beneath the driver’s door.  

The chrome is shiny and gleaming everywhere you look, and the wheels are in fine condition and appear to be unacquainted with kerbs or other roadside obstacles.

The matching Bridgestone ‘Dueler H/T’ tyres look to have a great deal of life left in them.

The lights, lenses, badging and other exterior fixtures and fittings are equally irreproachable.

We don’t for one moment doubt that you live in a lovely home (probably Elizabethan and Grade I listed) with exquisite rooms, many period features and richly opulent furnishings, but the reality is that you’ll want to spend most of your free time sitting in the sumptuous interior of this car. 

All it needs is a drinks cabinet, a small fridge and a Netflix subscription and you could sell the house and move in. 

It’s a sensory delight in every way and is as close to faultless as its exterior counterpart.

The red leather upholstery is untroubled by anything as vulgar as a crease, let alone patina, and the seats are comfortable, supportive, functional and splendid, front and back.

The front seats are from Jaguar but are not, we understand, Mk VII originals. 

No matter – they win the day by being aesthetically and functionally lovely, and by having discreet toggles at the base with which to electrically manoeuvre oneself into the optimal position for driving or reposing.

The door cards are very good, as is the headlining.

The wood trim and inserts on the dashboard and door cappings are probably about the best we’ve ever seen and have an unmatched depth of gloss and shine.

The tools and spares boxes hidden in the front doors are present and they both complete and in as-good-as-new condition.

The carpets and mats are excellent and the instruments and dials, some of which have been specially made to combine the best of original and new technologies, are unmarked and, as far as we’re aware, accurate.

We didn’t tweak every lever, press every knob or flick every switch, but those we did tweak, press and flick did as they were told without delay or complaint. 

Due to the upgrade to an alternator from the original generator, the ammeter no longer reads.

The boot is immaculate (unsurprisingly), and contains a spare wheel.

The engine bay is spectacularly clean, shiny, dry and tidy. 

We’d give it 5 stars on a food hygiene scale, never mind a mechanic’s report, and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

The car’s undersides look to be as squeaky clean and minty fresh as the rest of this astonishing vehicle. 

The car comes with a clear HPI report, a Jaguar Heritage certificate, all sorts of handbooks, copies of original Jaguar ‘Service Bulletins’, two full sets of keys, a number of older receipts and invoices, and numerous photographs taken during the car’s restoration.

The vendor has looked in vain for the bills, invoices and receipts he knew to have been in his father’s possession. 

That said, much of the work was done in-house at the family firm and wouldn’t have been itemised or recorded in the usual way in any case. 

We really don’t think that matters.

The quality of this car speaks for itself and will be immediately apparent to anyone who sees it.

We’re struggling to imagine any scenario in which we might realistically stand a chance of encountering a better example of a Jaguar Mk VII M.

This is a car that’s so well sorted you could use it every day and happily take on continental tours.

It drives as well as it looks, and it looks simply stunning.

We are happy to offer this exceptional vehicle for auction with an estimate in the range of £35,000 - £45,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.