1964 Jaguar MkII 'Historic Group Nb' Saloon

Description

Jaguar's range of compact sports saloons, launched in both 2.4 and 3.4-litre configurations in 1955, proved a major success at a time when the Coventry marque was riding high after wins at Le Mans and sold well alongside the bigger Mark VII and sportier XK models. The revised Mark II range unveiled in October 1959 addressed many of the shortcomings of the earlier models, in particular criticism of the handling at higher speeds was overcome by widening the rear track. With slimmer pillars and greater glass area, the Mark II had a lighter cabin featuring a redesigned instrument panel - still in the traditional rich timber veneer - with much improved layout. Disc brakes all round were standard and there was now the option of a 3.8-litre variant of the classic XK straight six, transforming the Jaguar into a super saloon. For a time, the Mark II equipped with the 3.8-litre engine was the fastest four-door car available and achieved plenty of success in touring car racing both in England and here in Australia. Indeed, examples of the Mark II can be found competing in historic touring car racing in Australia even today and they remain just as competitive now as they did back in the 1960s. A sales success, with nearly 90,000 built in ten years of production (3.8-litre models accounted for just under a third of total production), the Mark II is regarded as perhaps the finest saloon ever to wear the leaping cat by many Jaguar enthusiasts. No model epitomizes the Jaguar slogan of "Grace, pace and space" better than the Mark II and it remains an eminently useable classic saloon today, with excellent support provided by the many clubs and specialists around Australia.