THE S-TYPE of 1963 is a good exampleof Sir William Lyons’ knack of extracting as much value as possible from an existing bodyshell. Based on the MkII shell, it provided Jaguar with an intermediate model that bridged the gap between the compact MkII and the big MkX, not just in terms of size and price, but also in styling.
Code-named XJ3, or ‘Utah Mark III’, the S-Type retained the centre structure, bonnet panel and doors of the unitary Utah shell that had been developed for the compact MkI in 1955. Onto it was grafted a shapely MkXstyle tail adding 6in to the rear overhang and allowing space for the bulky IRS cage from the E-Type and twin fuel tanks in the rear wings.
Jaguar’s body engineers managed to subtly increase rear seat space within the same wheelbase by repositioning the seat cushion and inclining the seat backrest by 1 in. Headroom was retained by use of a thicker C-pillar and rear backlight set more vertically than the MkII, together with a longer, flatter roof.
The front end was cleaned up and modernised with slimline bumpers, recessed foglamps and wrapround indicators, while the headlamps gained the same hooded treatment as the MkX.
Research into Sir William’s archive at JDHT reveals that the initial body styling mock-up of XJ3 had been developed during the spring of 1962, roughly concurrent with Sir William’s main preoccupation during this period – the emerging XJ6. The archive contains a memo dated 24 May 1962 from chief body engineer Bill Thornton confirming that ‘the Mark III mock-up has been
