60 Years Of ‘Modern’ Jaguars
Mention 1961 to any Jaguar enthusiast and they’re sure to bring up the E-type. Making its debut at Geneva early in the year, this was the car that revolutionised Jaguar’s image, hailed as one of the greatest sports cars of all time… and justifiably so. But 1961 was also important for marking the start of a new era in Jaguar saloons, for it was the year in which the old MkIX – with its dated styling and separate-chassis arrangement – shuffled off into retirement, to be replaced by the gargantuan MkX featuring monocoque construction and a bold new look.
The MkX wasn’t the first Jaguar to feature unitary bodywork, of course, as that honour belongs to what we now refer to as the Mk1 (but sold new as the 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre saloon), which went on sale in 1955 and was usurped by the closely related but successfully updated Mk2 four years later. However, the MkX’s debut in October 1961 meant the company no longer produced a saloon with a separate chassis, with the newcomer’s modern design and advanced spec giving Jaguar a fitting flagship for the Swinging Sixties.
The MkX measured almost 17 feet in length and 6ft 4ins in width, making it by far the largest Jaguar of its time – and for many years it
