1960 Jaguar MK II

The elegantly styled and aerodynamically pleasing Jaguar MKII had notably slimmer roof pillars than its MKI forebearer, with an airy inside that was quintessentially British with its leather-covered seats, comprehensive instrumentation, polished wood fascia and door cappings, and an assortment of auxiliary toggle switches. The monocoque bodyshell was equipped with independent coil-sprung front suspension, a well-located 'live' rear axle and disc brakes all round. Engine options included a 2.4, 3.4, or 3.8-liter version of the company's race-proven XK engine. Production of the MKII ran from 1959 to 1967, at which point the 3.8-litre engine option was dropped and the remaining models were renamed 240 and 340 respectively.

Engine Specification
The 2,483 cubic centimeter (2.4-liter) engine produced 120 bhp, the 3,442cc version delivered 210 bhp, and the 3,781cc XK engine produced 220 bhp. The 3.8-liter version was similar to the one in the 3.8 E-Type, with the same pistons, connecting rods, block, and crank. Among the differences were straight ports on the E-Type and curved ports on the Mark 2. Both the 3.4- and 3.8-liter engines had twin SU HD6 carburetors while the 2.4-liter was fitted with twin Solex carburetors.

The 3.8 liter Mark 2 saloon was one of the fastest in the world at the time, and the MK2 would be voted 'Car of the Year' when launched in 1959 and would form the mainstay of Jaguar's saloon production until 1967.

Mechanical Specification
The dimensions of both the Mark 1 and Mark 2 were nearly identical, with the wheelbase of the Mark 2 measured 107 inches (.5 inches shorter than the Mark 1) and was 180 inches in length (an inch shorter than its predecessor). Disc brakes were standard and power steering, overdrive or automatic transmission were optional equipment. The 3.8-liter engine came with a limited-slip differential.

Body Design
Although the styling of the Mark 2 was similar to the Mark 1, it had slender front pillars, a wider windscreen, enlarged side windows, and fully chromed frames for all the side windows. The side, tail and fog lamps were larger and rested in a different position than those of the Mark 1. The radiator grille shape was changed, coming to more of a point at the bottom while the Mark 1's was more symmetrical.

The luxurious interiors received ample quantities of burl walnut, chrome, Connolly leather and Wilton wool carpets. Jaguar's in-house wood shop created the interiors which rivaled that of the finest cars anywhere. The new instrument layout would become standard on all Jaguar automobiles until the XJ Series II of 1973.

Production
A total of 83,976 examples of the Mark 2 were produced from 1959 through 1967, and 7,234 examples of the 240 & 340 were built from 1967 to 1969.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2022