The Jaguar Mk2 is overrated. There, we’ve said it. But in truth, it’s not quite what we mean – the fact remains that it was an excellent car, offering space and pace that was almost unrivalled for the money – and a car that has earned itself a litany of fans in the 64 years since it was launched. The stumbling block is one of money – with owners of the best examples virtually able to name their price, the Mk2 has passed out of affordable classic territory and into the realms of the collector car.
We find this bewildering in context – after all, the Mk2 was effectively the starting block for other models such as the S-type, the Daimler V8, and the 420 – all of which, in period, offered something over and above the basic model. And yet it is the Mk2 that fetches the money, with the cars once seen as more desirable now seen as the also-rans that fetch a fraction of the asking price. And of these, the two that attract the most interest are the Daimler V8 and the Jaguar S-type, each offering a significant portion of what made the Mk2 so great but with features of their own. In the Daimler’s case, it is effectively a Mk2 with a revvy little V8 engine. In the case of the S-type, it’s effectively a Mk2 with the same independent rear end as you might find on the E-type. How can these cars be so poorly valued in comparison? And crucially, which
