Roger said:
Surely the S type is the later car, with "improvements", IRS being the most obvious, over the Mk II?
I prefer the S type in many ways! Yes, the S type came <span style="font-weight: bold">AFTER</span> the MK-II, made from 1963 to 1968 but both the MK-II and the S type were being made at the same time.
The Independent Rear Suspension is only one of the improvements in the S type, (IRS carried over from the E-type and adapted to the Small Saloons), and that's the reason why the rear body is longer than the MK-II's rear body. The much larger trunk of the S type is another reason I prefer the S type.
the S type has a dual exhaust system, (the MK-II has sort of a dual exhaust but not exactly),
the S type has 2 fuel tanks,
the S type has a less cramped interior with more burled walnut wood than the MK-II,
the headlamp buckets have rolled "eyelids", (the MK-II looks like shaved eyebrows).
the auxilary lamp buckets have rolled "eyelids" too and they are bigger than the MK-II's by 1 inch in diameter. (the MK-II has 4.25" diameter auxiliary lamps, the S type has 5.25" diameter auxiliary lamps).
the bumpers of the S type are more refined and easier to remove or adjust, and in fact, the Jaguar factory started to install S type bumpers in the 240 and 340 in 1967. (the 240 and 340 were the same car as the MK-II which kept being made until 1968 too, they just changed the model name to 340 because it had a 3.4 liter engine. The 340 had vinyl instead of leather).
in the back, the S type looks like a Bentley or Rolls Royce of the period, they use similar tail lamps. (see photo). The MK-II has what looks like Volkswagen tail lamps, similar to the Beetle tail lamps!
In 1968 everything changed, the First XJ-6 came off the assembly line and the rest is history. No more Small Saloons.
sure, a lot of people are seduced by the MK-II's rear end, (me too), specifically the rear wheel openings with the spats. But the MK-II rides harsh compared to the S type, and it does not stick as good as the S type in tight turns at speed, the MK-II displays lots of leaning, the S type corners a little flatter and is more "elastic" thanks to the IRS).
Both cars are heavy, these are not MG-B's or Triumphs or Minis or Scion Xb's. They are a handful. Once you learn their limits, they are fun and sporty to drive, and will out-perform many modern cars at the turns, both in handling and acceleration. The XK engine is one heck of a fire-spitting engine.
the S type was the most expensive of the two cars by about 300 pounds sterling, it is a more luxurious and improved car than the MK-II in all the ways above. Both cars share many parts, but not interiors, the engines are identical, 3.4 or 3.8 liter XK engines.
And guess which model name Jaguar decided to revive in 1999 with their new Small Saloon? ...the "S type".
Ex