1956 Jaguar MK1

Production of the Jaguar Mark I lasted from 1955 through 1959 with a total of 37,397 examples built. Of those, 19,992 were built with the 2.4-liter engine and 17,405 with the 3.4-liter powerplant. The MKI was Jaguar's first 'small' saloon since the demise of the 1.5-liter cars of 1949 and bore a resemblance to the larger Mark VII. It was the first Jaguar with unitary construction of body and chassis, and the independent front suspension was comprised of double wishbones, telescopic dampers, coil springs, and an anti-roll bar. The front suspension was housed in a separate subframe mounted to the body by rubber bushes. In the back was a live axle with a simplified version o the D-Type suspension, with inverted semi-elliptic springs cantilevered into the main body frame. The rear quarter section served a dual purpose, carrying the axle and acting as trailing arms. The transverse location was connected via a Panhard rod.

The engine was a 2.4-liter short-stroke version of the XK120's twin-cam six-cylinder engine, initially rated at 112 horsepower. By early 1957, the Mark I received the larger and heavier 3.4-liter Six delivering 210 horsepower. To help with cooling, the 3.4 had a larger front grille, and a stronger rear axle was installed to cope with the increase in power. The rear-wheel covers were cut away to accommodate the wire wheels' knock-off hubcaps.

The interior used contemporary Jaguar saloon styling with most of the switches and dials being located on the central dashboard. This helped facilitate the switching of front- and left-hand drive configurations.

By Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020