Nothing in my humble opinion comes close to the looks of the jaguar Mk 2. Its styling is just so unique, It stands on its own, even in 2019.I was a young boy back in the 60's, and I loved it the first time I set my eyes on it.and still do.
They were gone long before I was born, but a few years back I stumbled on a classic car show when out walking. There were three of them there, well looked after, and utterly beautiful. They deserve the credit. Was quite an achievement to marry those elegant looks to what was back then quite a bit of muscle underneath.
@@Compleme_Cunm ,Yeah, your right, back then there were not that many stylish , iconic cars that just caught everybody's eye, along with the E type of course. Mr Lyons certainly knew a thing or two about stylish car design.
Mk II 3.8 Jag with wire wheels and the B cylinder heads (optional) for extra power- my father-in-law had one of those in 1964-1965 - a great car with performance and comfort.
Loved this beautiful car since I set eyes on it at my school were a teacher had one I was 13 years old now 60 but love it just as much now as I did then.
In its day it was one of the fastest cars on the market. 0-60 mph in 8.3 seconds. Todays cars can do that in about 4.00 seconds. Grace Space and Pace certainly was an apt description of the car.
I, too, had a teacher who gave me and my brother a ride to school every day, for a while, in his Jaguar MK II. He was a bit of a fuddy-duddy, but his taste in cars was nothing but cool. I've loved the car ever since. The combination of body styling and rich interior makes it the perfect combination of class and sportiness. If I could afford it, I would buy one that was straight and rust free, then have an American engine and transmission installed; disc brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, etc.--in other words, make it a "resto-mod"--sorry to those purists out there. Color: deep blue. Tan leather upholstery.
Marvellous how they made all those curves fit well together. being a draughtsman at jaguar was probably a bit of a nightmare!! Well done to Jag workers and Quentin for the program shame about the brakes probably best at 40 mph.
Had mine 'tweeked' did 145 mph fully loaded, 5 up. It was still accelerating but I ran out of M25 and had to turn off. Would have done 150. Great engine.
I have to agree there. People who say "cars that almost anyone could afford" haven't a clue what real life is or was like for most; most could barely afford the essentials let alone a car like the MK2. TV motor presenters havn't a clue, they just parrot nonsense. Cars like this were always for the wealthy classes not your working class family from the smog, factory/mining towns. However, MK2's can be picked up for almost next to nothing today, anything from a few hundred to a few thousand.
to No Say: Really I don't think so I'm American and I think both the UK and US in the 50's and 60's made some really good looking cars cause you have to admit both 59 Caddy (albeit my favorite american car from the 50's is the Hudson Hornet ) and Mark 2 Jags were real eye candy. The two nations in those days really knew how to make cars that captured the imagination, before it went to crap in the 70's.
Friend's dad had one when we were kids. Personally I preferred Pontiac Firebirds and tri five Chevys, but you know, each to their own. Can always appreciate the Jags even if I could never love one.
I'm currently restoring a 3.4 Mk1, which in my honest opinion is a much better looking car than the Mk2s. They're such a lovely car, initially designed to compete with the Rovers and even the DB18 Daimler; they also established the standard for ride quality in luxury cars which Jaguar continues today.
This presenter was pretty good at defining a particular car's charisma. His episode on Citroën's DS 21 is the best video essay I've yet seen about that very special automobile.
Looks like you got if off VHS just before it really did start to fall apart. Thanks for the upload, I have it on tape along with a few of the others from this series.
My 1st car was a 59 Mark II 3.4 pretty cool for a 20 yr old American. The was a great chick magnet. Unfortunately Uncle Sam needed me & I sold the Jag.
The Great Train Robber Bruce Reynolds is a smooth very well spoken character, the young criminals of today can barely put a sentence together when they are asked a question. they are utterly dumb if you study them . Nice Jag.
Slow? I grew up in Canada. My dad had a green Mk 2 3.8 and was challenged by some hulking Mercury on a local back road. The guy started tailgating us. Finally my dad got po'd and downshifted, going up through the gears at full throttle. That Merc disappeared into the distance so fast it looked like it was being towed backwards.
+John Techwriter not just slow, it was agonizingly slow, especially when compared to our American-made ass kicker cars, and its electrical system was absolute garbage....
The 1970’s. Management couldn’t design their way out of a wet paper bag and the Unions thought they were going to create a communist revolution, but instead killed the car industry. There were many Union reps and bosses who were officers in the KGB. There were literally weekly strikes in every heavy industry until they brought down the Labour government of Jim Callaghan, even though the Labour Party was basically the Union party. That brought in Maggie Thatcher and that was the end of Union power, at the cost of most of British industry.
They were very reliable cars by the standard of their time. My Dad had one. It was only when British Leyland took over Jaguar in later years that reliability suffered.
It's amazing how you used to be unique if you bought a BMW or an Audi instead of a Mercedes or a Jaguar( Or here in the states, a Cadillac), now it's the other way around
+contractki11er if your a decent mechanic yes, if your not that's a different story don't forget the newest one will be nearly 50 years old ,,,, spend a bit more and buy the best you can afford interiors can cost a fortune as can body work take a mechanic with you avoid 2.4 converted to 3.8 use you head not your heart when buying.
Jack Kallemdjian Interior looks fantastic, but looks like some body work was done near front wheel well around the jack point, that already has me hesitant about rusting. Thanks for the tips, I'll see if I can find someone to take a look at it for me.
contractki11er You won't find a mk 2 that's not had bodywork done to it. Depends who as done the work.ive restored 2 of them. You need lots of money in your wallet. And don't close it.
What a beauty grace space and pace and for sure it is a great British car I own a mk2 and an E type but sorry to say my X-type compared to them is a weekling.A Ford Transit wearing a skin of Jag.
The lack of logic in building the 2.4 is glaring, but that was just another "quirk" in the British motor industry., I am sure someone will query me without bothering to work out why.
+dave03085 I own the 3.8 litre Mk11 that belonged to my Father. Its has been restored twice in its life time and all work done by a specialist in Melbourne Australia, where it was stripped back to bare metal and the shell was sandblasted to bare metal. It was primed with an anti corrosive under coat was applied. Three base coats four of the Red I wanted and umpteen layers of clear over base . Front and rear suspension all stripped back to nothing and rebuilt. Front end received the same treatment and the wiring loom upgraded The 4.2 litre was fitted and mated to a four speed manual with electric overdrive on third and fourth. Upholstery was in light grey with plus pile matching carpets. Goes like hell and will cruise all day at 80 Miles per Hour returning 22 miles to the gallon. Many minor mods were installed to make getting to the distributor easier and so on. Chrome spoked wheel with Pirelli tyres
Bill Dryden The Jaguars were much better cars than contemporary Mercedes. Better engines, better build quality, much nicer ride quality. All cars of the 1950s and '60s rusted, it was a fact of life.
Nicholas Scarff Ummm no. I love the MK2, but readily acknowledge there is a good case for Merc fans to claim their cars were superior. Far more solidly built, better build quality and fewer issues with rust and electronics. Aesthetically the Jag wins, of course, and for those who swoon over leather and wood the value was astounding. The Jag was a fraction of the price, as well. 60's Mercs we're more stodgy but still great.
This car could have been bought by anybody if they had have worked hard enough. It was within their reach if they desired it unlike other cars that if they had of worked their whole lives they could never afford. Mark 2's were expensive in their but not out of reach.
Those old Jag 4 doors look ridiculous, IMO. They didn't begin to look halfway decent until the XJ6 came out... note I said "halfway"... those early XJ6s only looked good up to the B pillar. Everything aft of that still looked ridiculous. The '79 redesign looked a lot better, but they really nailed it with the 1994 redesign, and it continued to improve up to the 2009 abomination. Every one since then has looked absurd, in typical 21st century luxury car fashion. Styling is just too far out there for my taste.
Ummmmm....the Rover P5B is a much better lookin car than this Jaguar, it had a better electrical system, and a MUCH better motor with the Buick inspired Rover V8..... 8 cylinders > 6 cylinders all goddamn day....
