| Irish Jaguar drivers had a most successful racing and rallying season in 1953. The year opened with Cecil Vard & Arthur Jolley taking 5th place out of a record 404 entries in the Monte Carlo Rally in their MkV saloon and closed with Joe Kelly debuting his C Type in Irish Racing Green. Henry Smith of the Dublin University Motor Club filmed many of these events and below we present images taken from these films by Maurice Bryan. | |||
 The DUMC&LCC held their annual hillclimb at Stepaside during Trinity Week in May 1953. It was filmed at a cost of £18 by the Film Society. This shot shows undergraduate Gabby Fitzgibbon in his XK120. |  Cecil Vard took ZE 7445, his mother in law's MkV saloon, to 3rd place in the 1951 Monte Carlo Rally and 5th in 1953 before joining the works team in MkVII saloons. |  Dubliner Frank Bigger was another successful international race and rally driver. He won the 1956 Monte co driving with the late Ronnie Adams in a MkVII. Here he is in his well known XK 120, ZL 8060. |
|
 The XK 120 made its Irish debut in the 1950 TT with Stirling Moss and Leslie Johnson.Cecil Vard raced his in the Curragh along with Phillip Fotheringham-Parker and young transatlantic sailor Tony Jacob the following year. |
 This is believed to be David Boston, in one of a number of XK 120s in the Curragh in 1953. The cars continued to be successful in Irish club racing with Billy Bradshaw and Mike Heather winning the Sexton Trophy in 1955 and 56 respectively. Maurice Cavey, John Garvey, Charlie O'Hara and Louis Beshoff also raced XKs. |
 Medical Student Leslie Spivack's XK ZO 2259 shows signs of damage in the Ulster Trophy. The car was prepared in Fitzwilliam Lane by Ronnie Edwards who also worked on Neal O'Donal Browne's Harpic Special, John Garvey's A70 engined N-type MG and Mike Heaslitt's Allard. |
|
 10 C types were entered for the 1953 Dundrd TT but most of the privateers didn't start. Works car XKC 0012 driven by Peter Whitehead and Ian Stewart went out with gearbox problems along with the Rolt / Hamilton car. |
 Colourful Dublin businessman and Grand Prix driver Joe Kelly acquired XKC 0050 / ZU 2357 in August and shared it with Jack Fairman. in September's TT. It was driven by Joe Flynn and Torrie Large the following year when Joe shared a Ferrari Monza with Desmond Titterington. |  Stirling Moss refuelled his C type himself and helped with some engine work before handing over to Peter Walker.With all of the works cars having problems Moss pulled XKC 0053 over towards the end of race before taking the flag for a class win over Joe Kelly. | |
 |  |  |
|