Unless you are someone who is looking forward to celebrating their 60th birthday in the very near future it is unlikely you will remember the significance of the Mk II Jag.
To put some perpective on the importance of this car when it was launched in 1959 the Jaguar Mark Two was the M5 of its day – before anyone had any concept of what an M5 was and way long before BMW established the benchmark for the ‘ultimate sports saloon’.
The performance of the 3.8 straight-six, twin SU carburettor engine was even by today’s standards highly respectable – 220 bhp, 0-60 in 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 125 mph – but this was 1959! Today that conveniently might compare well with the figures the XFR produces to do battle with the M5 – but there was no M5 back then.
The Mark 2 Jag took to the tracks with the the help of Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Mike Hawthorne to show that it could handle too and romped home with a sideboard full of trophies during the 1960’s. Even today it’s possible to see the old girl flying round taking the lead in classic car race events around the world.
These days the only decent Mark 2 Jags left are those that thankfully have been well-attended to over the decades by those people who have the financial resources and blood, sweat and tears in abundance to keep the legend of the 1960’s ‘M5’ alive. Perhaps more appropriately the current M5 pays homage to the car that set the blueprint back in the day. The Mark 2 Jag is dead – long live the Mark 2 Jag.
The inspiration for this misty-eyed piece of nostalgia is the fact that a truly beautiful example of a Mark 2 Jaguar is to be auctioned in the forthcoming Baron’s Jaguar Heritage Sale. The details of this particular car can be found here http://www.barons-auctions.com/details.php?ID=5646 but we couldn’t resist sharing the images with those die-hard Mark 2 fans out there…..
The Car Spy 