ALTHOUGH FOR some the Sixties was about the civil rights movement, the freedom of expression and emerging generation gap, Jaguar’s chairman and founder, Sir William Lyons, was more concerned with growth. Not only did the company’s range of saloons double during the decade but the cars themselves physically expanded and there’s no better example of this than the S-Type. Arriving in late 1963, it was the third saloon in Jaguar’s range and although based on the existing Mk2, it featured a slightly longer boot line.
Yet there was more to the car than improved storage since it was a thorough update of the Mk2 resulting in what could be considered the better car. To explain why, we’re looking at the S-Type’s development and history before trying a beautiful 3.8-litre example for ourselves.
Although the MkX with its modern unitary construction together with the same independent rear suspension as the E-Type was praised when it arrived in 1961, the car was also considered by many to be too large. The smaller Mk2 had around since 1959 and was still popular but it didn’t have the IRS and would have required a
