Jaguar Mk. II
Reviewed by Unique Cars and Parts
Our Rating: 4
Introduction
The Mk. II was the last proper sports saloon made by Jaguar and became somewhat of a 60's icon.
Quiet, comfortable and stately in appearance, under the Mk. II bonet lay an eager and impressive motor capable of 201 km/h in 3.8 litre form.
The Mk II was heavily based on the Mk I, but improved over its predecessor in
handling and styling.
It was a very beautiful car finished with many Jaguar's unique and elegant details, whose design became the best representative of classic Jag saloons.
Apart from the comfortable cabin and classy interior decoration, it also had an excellent powertrain - the XK twin-cam inline-6, displacing 2.4 litres, 3.4 litres or 3.8 litres.
The latter output an impressive 220 hp, thus enabling a top speed of 125 mph and taking just 8.5 sec for 0-60.
For the time, it was the fastest mass produced sedan in the world, with good
handling and 4 wheel disc
brakes simply outclassing all the competition.
It is easy to see why the MkII dominated the touring car racing scene for more than 3 years, including taking the first European Touring Car Championship in 1963.
Such performance soon had the car on the track as a saloon racer, and UK industry personalities
Graham Hill and Colin Chapman also choose to use these after hours further improving the vehicles allure.
Leather seats, wooden dash (jam packed with dials) and even by today's standards impressive performance make this car still highly sought after.
Even though over 80,000 were made, expensive variations were developed in the S-Type, 420 and Daimler V8. However the 3.8 litre Mk. II remains the purest and is the most collectable.