Compact sporting saloons with a prestigious badge are nothing new. BMW has made the most of this sector since the 1970s, with different generations of 3 Series models being idolised over the last five decades, and it’s a sector in which other German marques also do well. Interestingly though, compact sporting saloons played an important role in the Jaguar story much earlier, with a succession of different models to boost the company’s sales, appealing to those buyers who craved both practicality and a rewarding driving experience.
The process really got under way with what we now refer to as the ‘Mk1’ (since the arrival of the Mk2 in 1959), although it could be argued that the process began with the Jaguar 1½ Litre of the 1940s and even its SS predecessors. The 1955-on ‘Mk1’ marked the start of a whole new era of Jaguar saloon, however, launching in 1955 badged as the Jaguar 2.4, with the 3.4 being added less than 18 months later. It was a very clever move on the part of Jaguar, for it retained an obvious family link in terms of overall styling, whilst being more modern, more rakish and more low-slung than any previous Jaguar saloon. It didn’t take long for the 2.4 to become the biggest-selling Jaguar of the time, proving to all the world that executive cars didn’t have to be big, cumbersome and old-fashioned.
Despite being an upmarket saloon, the ‘Mk1’ pleased the enthusiastic driver by offering strong performance and decent handling, the latter aided by independent front suspension and standard-fit anti-roll bar. The on-paper figures certainly looked impressive, with even the 2.4 offering a top speed of 101mph – at a time when a three-digit figure was hugely exciting. The 3.4 took this to a whole new level,
