Jaguar’s greatest hits
With today’s company ready to embrace a future as purveyors of premium-priced EVs, let’s not forget that in the past Jaguar has been best known for some of the world’s most celebrated sporting and luxury cars, with affordability as their key tenet.
Jaguar upset the status quo from the start, shocking the post-war car establishment with models that not only looked like a slice of the future, but that rapidly became high benchmarks for performance and refinement.
And now, with a back catalog comprising the XK120, E-type (sold as the XK-E in North America), XJ6 and XJ220, you can see why…
So, here are 22 of the very best Jaguars from the last century, presented in chronological order.
1. 1936 SS Jaguar 100
William Lyons had launched the original SS range of sports cars in 1931, but when SS Cars became a public company in 1935 the model was renamed the ‘SS Jaguar’.
Initially fitted with a 2.5-liter Standard engine delivering a 95mph top speed, the new car was priced at just £385, a full £250 below expectations.
A year later, though, and now with a 3.5-liter engine, the SS Jaguar 100 did precisely what its name suggested and hit the magic ‘ton’, making it one of the fastest cars of the decade.
2. 1948 Jaguar XK120
Launched at 1948’s Earls Court show, the Jaguar XK120 was based on the chassis of the upcoming MkVII sedan that should have been the star of the show, but wasn’t ready in time.
With its streamlined body, independent front suspension and double-overhead-cam six-cylinder engine, the XK120 cost just £1268 and could reach 120mph, making it the fastest production car of the 1940s.
The car also boosted Jaguar’s export fortunes, and was hugely popular Stateside.
3. 1951 Jaguar MkVII sedan
After being delayed, Jaguar’s new four-door for the ’50s – the MkVII – launched to stunned crowds at the 1950 London Motor Show, billed as the world’s fastest production sedan.
Powered by the same 3442cc dohc ‘six’ as in the XK120, the generously proportioned model was an immediate hit in the important American market, while it wowed the British press and public with its slightly caddish looks and unfeasibly low £1600 price-tag.
4. 1951 Jaguar C-type
Inspired by the promising potential of a three-car works XK120 entry in 1949’s Le Mans 24-hour race, William Lyons consented to the creation of an XK120-based sports-racer with reduced weight, better brakes and more performance.
The resultant C-type (or XK120C) wore a spectacularly streamlined body over its tubular spaceframe, with a neat grille, flush headlamps and a single aeroscreen, and powered by the 3.4-liter XK ‘six’.
The C-type gifted Jaguar its first Le Mans win in 1951.
5. 1954 Jaguar D-type
While the C-type’s mechanical package was largely carried over to the D-type, the new car employed a far stiffer monocoque construction, with its slippery shape once again designed by Jaguar’s Malcolm Sayer.
Equipped with disc brakes all round, and dry-sump lubrication to lower the XK’s engine and reduce its frontal area, the D-type evolved over its three-year life with at first a longer, more aerodynamic nose, and then a larger-displacement 3.7-liter engine.
Race success came quickly, with Le Mans victories in 1955, ’56 and ’57.
6. 1955 Jaguar Mk1 sedan
Designed to fit between the XK and MkVII sedan, the compact Mk1 retained Jaguar’s family look, and launched in 1955 at a tantalizingly low cost of just £1268.
But the bargain price belied brisk performance from its 2.4-liter, six-cylinder engine, with 0-60mph arriving in a respectable 14 secs on the way to a top speed of more than 100mph.
In 1957, a 3.4-liter engine was added in the range, raising the top speed to 120mph.
7. 1957 Jaguar XKSS
After the D-type had triumphed at Le Mans three times, William Lyons decided to convert the remaining 25 examples into road cars suitable to be raced in the US under the Sports Car Club of America’s Production Sports Car rules.
Essentially still a D-type, complete with Le Mans-winning-spec XK engine, the XKSS gained some basic weather protection and a slightly more salubrious cabin.
Alas, just 16 were completed before a fire at the Browns Lane factory in February 1957 destroyed the remaining nine.
8. 1959 Jaguar Mk2 sedan
Arguably, the best-loved and most recognizable British sedan of its era, the Mk2 was unveiled at 1959’s British Motor Show.
Available with either a 2.4-, 3.4- or 3.8-liter XK engine, the body featured larger front and rear ’screens, new tail-lights and a revamped, airier cabin.
Disc brakes were now standard across the range, and the oft-criticized narrow rear track from the Mk1 was increased by 3¼in, improving handling.
Nearly 100,000 Mk2s were sold during its eight-year production life.
9. 1961 Jaguar XK-E (Series 1)
‘The most wanted car in the world,’ claimed the Daily Mail after the Jaguar XK-E’s launch in 1961 – it was, of course, called the E-type outside North America.
You could see why it received such praise, too. The first E-type was not only a technical tour de force, with its advanced semi-monocoque construction, all-round independent suspension, precise rack-and-pinion steering and powerful Dunlop disc brakes, but also crowd-stoppingly spectacular, thanks to Malcolm Sayer’s exquisite design.
Perhaps not quite as fast as originally billed (150mph), but quick enough with its 3.8-liter XK engine.
10. 1961 Jaguar MkX
The MkX perfectly blended Jaguar’s advanced engineering with generous, US-market-friendly proportions, its sleek and curvaceous body measuring 6ft 4in in width, and capable of accommodating six.
Sitting at the top of Jaguar’s range, its £2393 launch price was certainly out of reach for the average worker, but still attainable for up-and-coming professionals.
It was a powerful luxo-barge, too, with a 118mph top speed and a 0-60mph time of 10.3 secs.
11. 1963 Jaguar S-type
The all-too-often underrated Jaguar S-type supplemented the Mk2 model from 1963, but brought with it XK-E-based all-independent suspension versus its sibling’s live rear axle.
Similar at a distance to the Mk2, but with a flatter roofline, elongated rear fenders and a larger trunk, the S-type was 7in longer than the Mk2, and more imposing overall.
Powered once more by Jaguar’s trusty XK straight-six, in either 3.4- or 3.8-liter form, it was memorable as the darling of many a The Sweeney car chase.
12. 1966 Jaguar 420
Taking over from the MkX as Jaguar’s range-topper in 1966, the 420 – as its name suggests – was powered by a 4.2-liter version of the XK ‘six’.
With its commanding grille and four horizontally positioned headlights, the 420 was well defined from its lesser Mk2 and S-type stablemates, and marked a final fling for the now rather old-school designs that were soon to be overthrown by the new XJ6.
13. 1968 Jaguar XJ6
Conceived in the early ’60s as a four-door ‘sports sedan’ to replace the Mk2, S-type, 420 and MkX ranges in one fell swoop, the XJ6 was the most complex and sophisticated Jaguar yet.
In isolation, there was nothing revolutionary about the XJ6 – it even retained various flavors of XK engine – but its success lay in how well Jaguar finessed all the systems it knew into an all-new, svelte, lighter and stronger sedan body than before.
That the XJ6 effectively lived (through three iterations) into the ’90s is testament to its enduring appeal.
14. 1971 Jaguar XK-E V12
Unloved by many XK-E/E-type purists, the third-series car blasted into the 1970s propelled by a Claude Baily/Walter Hassan-designed 5.3-liter, all-aluminum V12 engine – the first mass-produced V12 since those used in pre-war Lincolns.
Despite having twice the cylinder count of the XK, the V12 engine weighed just 80LB (36KG) more.
It redefined the XK-E as more GT than sports car, reinforced by the unit’s smoothness – though countered by its unholy thirst.
15. 1972 Jaguar XJ12
Finally, the XJ was endowed with the ‘grace’ and ‘pace’ Jaguar was renowned for, with a second outing for the 5.3-liter all-alloy V12 in the new XJ12.
Available with either short- or long-wheelbase bodies, the XJ12 was a richly trimmed hot rod, capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in 7.4 secs and on to a top speed of 146mph.
A rather clunky three-speed auto ’box and 11MPG gas mileage would put off many buyers, but few Jaguars better epitomized the company’s ethos.
16. 1975 Jaguar XJ-S
Replacing the XK-E/E-type was never going to be an easy task, and that was borne out when the XJ-S was launched in 1975 – design pundits were aghast at its rear buttresses, while the press bemoaned (once again) the V12 engine’s thirst.
But its XJ-sedan-based platform was excellent, and despite build-quality woes in the early years, Jaguar successfully evolved the XJ-S, introducing a 3.6-liter six-cylinder engine option, a more efficient version of the V12, as well as convertible and targa/convertible body styles, all of which led to more than two decades on the market.
17. 1976 Broadspeed Jaguar XJ5.3C
Based around the XJ12’s two-door coupe derivative, Jaguar parent British Leyland commissioned Ralph Broad to turn the XJ into a fully fledged racer.
With its V12 engine bored out to 5416cc to produce more than 500HP, and bulging arches shrouding gumball wheels, the racer made its debut at Silverstone’s 1976 Tourist Trophy meeting, driven by Derek Bell and David Hobbs.
Alas, reliability woes plagued the race program and the following year BL withdrew its support.
18. 1988 Jaguar XJR-9
Tom Walkinshaw’s TWR was tasked with taking Jaguar into the World Sports Car Championship, resulting in production of a series of Group C racers leading up to the XJR-9 in 1988.
Based on the previous year’s XJR-8, the Tony Southgate-designed ‘9’ was powered by a mid-mounted 7-liter V12 producing a cool c750HP, and capable of 240mph. It had a carbon-composite body.
The XJR-9’s crowning glory was at the 1988 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans when it won outright, driven by Andy Wallace, Jan Lammers and Johnnie Dumfries.
19. 1990 Jaguar XJR saloon
Based on the newly launched XJ40, the XJR was developed by JaguarSport, a joint venture between Jaguar and TWR.
Initially using standard 3.6-liter AJ6 mechanicals, the XJR gained color-coded bumpers, a matt-black grille, stiffer suspension, revised power steering and upgraded leather seats.
After the 4-liter engine reached the range, its power was upped for the XJR, though its cosmetic addenda was toned down.
20. 1991 Jaguar XJR-15
Tracing its roots back to the XJR-9, the XJR-15 was conceived for JaguarSport’s Intercontinental Challenge, a three-race series supporting Formula One at Monaco, Silverstone and Spa.
More than 50 XJR-15s were built, each costing almost £1million.
With lightweight carbonfiber bodywork and powered by a c450HP V12, performance was immense.
But handling left much to be desired, with Tiff Needell recalling that it was ‘just plain nasty’.
21. 1992 Jaguar XJ220
Initially previewed at the British International Motor Show in 1988, the XJ220 received a rapturous reception, with 1500 people placing substantial deposits.
However, the car’s promised quad-cam V12 and four-wheel-drive transmission never materialized in production, replaced instead by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 sending power to the rear wheels only.
That was still enough to make the XJ220 the world’s fastest production car in 1992, with a top speed of 212.3mph. But only 275 cars were sold.
22. 1996 Jaguar XK8
Jaguar found its mojo once more with the XK8, returning to a car that many believed was more of a worthy successor to the XK-E/E-type than the XJ-S had ever been.
Initially unveiled as a 2+2 coupe at Geneva in 1996, and joined soon after by a Convertible, the XK8 was powered by a 4-liter V8, delivering drive to the rear wheels via a five-speed automatic gearbox.
The XK8 marked a welcome return to traditional Jaguar values, including undercutting its rival’s pricing.
Small wonder that at its peak 12,000 XK8s a year were leaving the factory.
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