De Mark II was een vierdeurs sportlimousine, die Jaguar in 1959 uitbracht als opvolger van de Mark I, met 2,4 en 3,4 liter-motor. De carrosserie werd op enkele details verbeterd en gewijzigd. Vanaf dan waren schijfremmen op alle vier wielen standaard.

De Mark II 2.4 met een cilinderinhoud van 2483 cm³ had nu 120 pk, de 3.4 leverde 210 pk, en de nieuw bijgekomen 3.8 van 3781 cm³ leverde 220 pk. Via een vierversnellingsbak (optioneel met overdrive of drieversnellingsautomaat) werden de achterwielen aangedreven. De topsnelheid lag bij respectievelijk 155 en 195 km/h.

Tot 1967 werden 25.173 exemplaren van de 2,4 liter, 28.663 van de 3,4 liter en 30.140 van de 3,8 liter gebouwd. Tot 1969 kwamen daar nog bij 4446 stuks van de 240, 2788 stuks van de 340 (met 210 pk) en 12 met de 3,8 liter-motor (met 220 pk).

Vanaf herfst 1967 kregen de reeds een jaar eerder versoberde modellen de aanduiding Jaguar 240 en 340. De prestaties van de 240 werden verhoogd door vervanging van de cilinderkop door die van de 'E-Type' en de dubbele Solex-carburateur door de dubbele SU-carburateur. De 240- en 340-modellen waren herkenbaar aan de smallere bumpers. Voor de VS waren er nog enkele exemplaren van de 340 met bredere bumpers.

In mei 1960 werd Daimler Motor Company door Jaguar overgenomen. Van oktober 1962 tot midden 1969 werd vervolgens, met dezelfde carrosserie als die van de Jaguar Mark II, de Daimler 250 V8 aangeboden, maar met de motor van de Daimler SP250. De aluminium Daimler-motor was lichter dan het gietijzeren Jaguar-blok, waardoor het gewicht op de voorwielen verlaagd werd, en waardoor het onderstuur in vergelijking met de XK gereduceerd werd bij het snelle bochtenwerk. Opvolger van de Mark 2 was de XJ6.

Bron: Wikepedia

The Jaguar 420 (pronounced "four-twenty") and its Daimler Sovereign equivalent were introduced at the October 1966 London Motor Show and produced for two years as the ultimate expression of a series of "compact sporting saloons" offered by Jaguar throughout that decade, all of which shared the same wheelbase. Developed from the Jaguar S-Type, the 420 cost around £200 more than that model and effectively ended buyer interest in it, although the S-Type continued to be sold alongside the 420/Sovereign until both were supplanted by the Jaguar XJ6 late in 1968.

The 420/Sovereign traces its origins back to the Jaguar Mark 2, which was introduced in 1959 and sold through most of the 1960s. The Mark 2 had a live rear axle and was powered by the XK six-cylinder engine first used in the Jaguar XK120 of 1948. The Mark 2 was available in 2.4, 3.4 and 3.8-litre engine capacities.

In 1961 Jaguar launched two new models with the triple SU carburettor version of the 3.8-litre XK engine: the Mark X (pronounced "mark ten") saloon and the E-Typesports car. Both cars used versions of Jaguar's new independent rear suspension, the Mark X having a 58-inch (1,500 mm) track and the E-Type a 50-inch (1,300 mm) track. In 1965 the Mark X and E-Type were updated with a new 4.2-litre version of the XK engine, still using triple carburettors.

Meanwhile, in 1963 Jaguar had introduced the Jaguar S-Type as a development of the Mark 2. It used a new intermediate-width, 54-inch (1,400 mm) version of the independent rear suspension in place of the live rear axle of the Mark 2. Other differences from the Mark 2 were extended rear bodywork to provide for a larger boot, a changed roofline for more rear seat passenger headroom, a slightly plusher interior and detail differences around the nose. The S-Type was available with either 3.4 or 3.8-litre XK engines (only 3.8-litre in USA) but in twin-carburettor form because the triple-carburettor setup would not readily fit into what was essentially still the Mark 2 engine bay.

James Taylor suggests four reasons why Jaguar boss Sir William Lyons might have decided to add yet another model to an already extensive Jaguar range:[2]

sales of the Mark X were disappointing; the car was widely seen as being too big and cumbersome and a smaller car with similar standards of technical sophistication and luxury he thought could be more successful

demands for more luxurious features would add weight to any future models, forcing the drive towards a 4.2-litre-engined compact saloon

a combination of the 4.2-litre engine with the compact saloon body was expected to have market appeal

aesthetic objections to the controversially styled S-Type were known to be harming its sales

Consequently, Sir William initiated development of a new saloon based on the S-Type, retaining its 54-inch independent rear suspension but adding a twin-carburettor version of the 4.2-litre powerplant and frontal styling more akin to that of the Mark X. The new car was released in August 1966 in the form of two badge-engineered models, the Jaguar 420 and the Daimler Sovereign.

Bron:  Wikepedia