Jaguar Mark II

When a luxury car-maker like Jaguar decides to expand its market into the cheaper compact saloon car category, other manufacturers should quake in their boots. Britain's established marques certainly felt the impact when a new 2.4-litre Jaguar was launched in 1956. The car simply was a huge leap forward from the expected standards of the day.

In the 1950s, Jaguar had already become Brit­ain's leading high-class saloon manufacturer, being very successful with the Mk VII, which remains a very underrated car even today. What it created with the new, smaller 2.4-litre saloon was not only its first-ever chassis-less monocoque design, but an attrac­tively modern-looking compact luxury car with searingly good performance and roadholding. That reputa­tion was enhanced by the arrival of a faster 3.4-litre version in 1957.

These 2.4 and 3.4-litre saloons became known retrospectively as the Mark I up till 1959, and after that, the Mark II (рис. 27). The evolution between the two stages was subtle in most respects but in terms of the overall effect, the Mark II was a far more cohesive whole. Collectors and enthusiasts have recognised this fact and the Mark II has become the seminal classic Jaguar saloon.

Perhaps it is the elegance of its styling. Per­haps it is the thoroughbred responsiveness which made it such a favourite of contemporary racing drivers. Perhaps it is the old-world charm of its traditional leather-and-walnut interior, leaping cat mascot and oval chrome grille. Whatever, the Mark II's appeal is enduring.

Compared with the old Mark I, the Mark II looked much more balanced and delicate, having a larger glass area, slimmed-down pillars, more chrome and a wider rear track. The latter point meant that the full rear spats of the Mark I were replaced with cut-away ones. The interior was also superior, having exceedingly comfortable leather seats, masses of walnut veneer and a sporting feel to the dashboard layout.

The big news was the availability of three con­figurations of the six-cylinder XK engine: the 2.4 and 3.4-litre units which had already been used in the Mark I, and the spectacular 220 bhp 3.8-litre engine from the Mk IX.

Рис. 27

The top-of-the-range 3.8 became legendary for its performance; it could reach 125 mph and do the 0-60 mph sprint in 8.5 seconds. That is the sort of per­formance which would not disgrace a sporting saloon car even today. In its day, it was easily the fastest production saloon car in the world.

Racing drivers certainly recognised its worth. Jaguar's works drivers Mike Hawthorn and Duncan Hamil­ton were two of the more celebrated owners of 3.8-litre Mark Us. Another profession that appreciated the pace and space of the Mark II was the British police force, making it a frequently seen pursuit and motorway patrol car.

Export markets were naturally targeted, the most important being America, where journalists had voted the Mark II ‘Car of the Year’. The Mark II was given a spectacular showing at the I960 New York Show, with an example having all of its exterior metalwork gold-plated, and a model on hand dressed in a gold-thread dress stitched with over 1, 000 diamonds!

The Mark II remained largely unchanged through­out its production life (1959-67) but there were a number of interesting derivatives. The first was the Daimler 2.5-litre V8 which was given birth because Jaguar had acquired the Daimler company in I960 and inherited the fabulous Edward Turner-designed Daimler V8 engine. It was a natural fitment for the Mark II body shell and found favour with buyers less inter­ested in sporting edge and more in luxury, refinement and pulling power. Ironically, it was actually a much better performer and handler than Jaguar's smaller-engined Mark Us.

Another derivative was the Jaguar S-Type, which used the Mark II's hull and interior largely un­changed, but added a longer tail and slightly revised front end. This was in turn developed into another pair of identical twins, the Jaguar 420 and Daimler Sovereign, which had sharper front-end styling and 4.2-litre engines.

The Mark II officially died as a model in 1967, the last ones having cheaper ‘ambla’ instead of leather interior trim, in line with a general cost-cutting policy at Jaguar in the late 1960s. However, there was a pair of final run-out versions of the Mark II which were called the 240 and 340. They were made between 1967 and 1969. These were considerably less lavish models with slimmer bumpers and plastic inte­rior trim. Officially there was no 380 version, ei­ther, although a handful were built to special order.

In the 1980s, the classic car market began to acknowledge the Mark II as a quality car with enthusi­ast value. Prices rose to extraordinary heights - be­yond £ 30, 000 in some cases - and, unlike many other classic cars, did not fall back dramatically in value after the price bubble burst in 1990. However, all Mark Us are not equally valued. The 3.8-litre version with a manual overdrive gearbox is unquestionably the best and consequently the most sought-after. The rather asthmatic 2.4-litre Mark II and down-market 240/340 models are at the opposite extreme, with automatic transmission also frowned on, since most poten­tial Mark II owners - now, as in the 1960s - have a sporting inclination and love the overdrive option.

Likewise, the Daimler V8-powered versions are generally viewed with far less enthusiasm because they are not pure Jaguars and were conceived more for com­fort than rewarding sports driving. As a result, Daimlers can make the best buys because they cost so much less.

A veritable industry has sprung up to support these cars and there are even businesses doing very well updating original examples to more modern speci­fications, for what seem enormous sums of money. More recently still, firms have set up offering Mark Us on contract hire as an alternative to buying a brand new car. The attractions of running a classic as an every­day car have seldom been as powerful as they are with a Jaguar Mark II. It's all part of a mystique which will undoubtedly see the Mark II remain one of the great classic cars for as long as there are enthusi­asts around to drive them.