Jaguar memories- Mk 1
Discussion
Some would say that if you really want to know about cars talk to the people who work on them.
So I thought you might be interested in some of the wonderful memories I have of my early engineering days as a Jaguar specialist; I really did eat, sleep and breathe them.
The Jaguars of the fifties were beyond doubt the best they ever made, they have never duplicated or even came near to matching the sheer excitement that these cars generated.
Having said that, they were by no means perfect, but they had a charisma and a unique quality about them that drew one in like a sailor to a mermaid!
There were however some particular models that I remember to this day still with excitement.
The first for me, in harmony with Lynxd67 was the Mark1 saloon.
Jaguar launched this model as their first monocoque construction car and it was an instant success. The first cars had 2.4 litre short stroke engines breathing through Solex twin carbs and were literally turbine smooth right up to the rev limit. They even had balance weights on the water pump pulley!!!
Whilst not being the quickest car on the road, it was the style and quality of the car that captured the imagination.
But when Jaguar released the 3.4 litre model it propelled the MK 1 into supercar status of the day.
I still remember the very first time I drove one of these, and the naked, brutal excitement it generated was something that would stay with me for always.
And that is what 50s Jaguars were about; excitement!
The Mark 1 was a true drivers car: acceleration, handling, power oversteer and drift and all with Rolls Royce comfort; it was unbeatable in its day.
Sadly I feel that the Mark 2, although a great car in its own right, just did not have the same driver appeal.
My best Mk1 was purchased from a chap who was a victim of the first drink driving laws and had lost his licence for a year.
Someone had told him I specialised in Jaguars and he offered me the car for next to nothing.
When I drove it however I realised that it was quite special and subsequently discovered it had been prepared by the factory when new to a very high spec.
It had Konis all round, uprated springs, a quick steering box, Borrani wires and 2inch carbs.
It was one of the most driveable cars I have ever owned, and I regret to this day selling it. But if we all had a crystal ball we would be much wiser men!!
What a pity that more of these cars have not survived to provide the same enjoyment for another generation.
What a pity also that Jaguar, like almost all of the British manufacturers, has lost its true identity in the boardroom.
So I thought you might be interested in some of the wonderful memories I have of my early engineering days as a Jaguar specialist; I really did eat, sleep and breathe them.
The Jaguars of the fifties were beyond doubt the best they ever made, they have never duplicated or even came near to matching the sheer excitement that these cars generated.
Having said that, they were by no means perfect, but they had a charisma and a unique quality about them that drew one in like a sailor to a mermaid!
There were however some particular models that I remember to this day still with excitement.
The first for me, in harmony with Lynxd67 was the Mark1 saloon.
Jaguar launched this model as their first monocoque construction car and it was an instant success. The first cars had 2.4 litre short stroke engines breathing through Solex twin carbs and were literally turbine smooth right up to the rev limit. They even had balance weights on the water pump pulley!!!
Whilst not being the quickest car on the road, it was the style and quality of the car that captured the imagination.
But when Jaguar released the 3.4 litre model it propelled the MK 1 into supercar status of the day.
I still remember the very first time I drove one of these, and the naked, brutal excitement it generated was something that would stay with me for always.
And that is what 50s Jaguars were about; excitement!
The Mark 1 was a true drivers car: acceleration, handling, power oversteer and drift and all with Rolls Royce comfort; it was unbeatable in its day.
Sadly I feel that the Mark 2, although a great car in its own right, just did not have the same driver appeal.
My best Mk1 was purchased from a chap who was a victim of the first drink driving laws and had lost his licence for a year.
Someone had told him I specialised in Jaguars and he offered me the car for next to nothing.
When I drove it however I realised that it was quite special and subsequently discovered it had been prepared by the factory when new to a very high spec.
It had Konis all round, uprated springs, a quick steering box, Borrani wires and 2inch carbs.
It was one of the most driveable cars I have ever owned, and I regret to this day selling it. But if we all had a crystal ball we would be much wiser men!!
What a pity that more of these cars have not survived to provide the same enjoyment for another generation.
What a pity also that Jaguar, like almost all of the British manufacturers, has lost its true identity in the boardroom.
Edited by jith on Friday 16th March 22:35
jith said:
The first cars had 2.4 litre short stroke engines breathing through Solex twin carbs and were literally turbine smooth right up to the rev limit.
...which reminds me once more of my feeling that it would have been great if it had been considered economically practical to rework the XK design to a less undersquare setup when the RAC tax laws bit the dust.
What is your opinion on the view that the Mk 1's narrow rear track makes it less stable and therefore less good a drive... and how would you compare the Mk 2 and the S-type wrt handling? Never had the chance to drive any of them myself, more's the pity...
a chap i know is a bit of a jaguar fan (he's got a ss100, ss saloon,xk120fhc and an xk140 and probably more!), about 20 years ago he picked up a lovely mk1 jag from an old lady local to him. it was one owner from new, but after her husband died and the headgasket went it was parked up for years.
after getting it home he gave it a wash, and it turned out to be in pretty good nick, with very minimal rust. it was that lovely dark shade of almost black, green, had spats on the rear wheels , the tool kit was complete and the front seats were unusual (either it had a bench seat, and individual seats were more normal, or the other way round.)
he ran it for several years unrestored and eventually sold it on.
after getting it home he gave it a wash, and it turned out to be in pretty good nick, with very minimal rust. it was that lovely dark shade of almost black, green, had spats on the rear wheels , the tool kit was complete and the front seats were unusual (either it had a bench seat, and individual seats were more normal, or the other way round.)
he ran it for several years unrestored and eventually sold it on.
Pigeon said:
jith said:
The first cars had 2.4 litre short stroke engines breathing through Solex twin carbs and were literally turbine smooth right up to the rev limit.
...which reminds me once more of my feeling that it would have been great if it had been considered economically practical to rework the XK design to a less undersquare setup when the RAC tax laws bit the dust.
What is your opinion on the view that the Mk 1's narrow rear track makes it less stable and therefore less good a drive... and how would you compare the Mk 2 and the S-type wrt handling? Never had the chance to drive any of them myself, more's the pity...
Hi Pigeon, long time no talk to!
This is a very interesting point and relates to some development work that the factory did on both the later production cars and the D type.
In 1957 the CSI imposed an engine size limit of three litres for Le Mans thereby immediately disqualifying Jaguar from competing with their 3.4 or 3.8 engines in the D.
So they very hastily developed a tuned version of the 2.4 by casting the block in alloy, taking it out to three litres and fuelling it with Lucas mechanical injection.
It was apparently phenomenally quick but suffered serious overheating and had to retire.
They just did not have enough development time on it.
By this time the E type was on the drawing board and the car that was to become the XJ13 complete with V12, so the 3 litre D was dropped.
But during the development of the new XJ saloon, which was an utterly tremendous car in its day despite the BL interference, a short stroke engine was developed.
The XJ was originally designed as a V12 but the engine wasn't ready in time for the car's launch in late '68 so the trusty old 4.2 was fitted and a short stroke version of that was made available as an option.
It was NOT a bored out 2.4 but a short stroke version of the 4.2 block, 2.8 litres in capacity, 9:1 compression pistons, high lift cams, 2inch SUs and an upgraded Lucas distributor with dual acting vacuum advance/retard capsule.
For the first time in a Jaguar production car, it was red lined at 6,500 RPM and spun up to that like a jet turbine.
Unfortunately in true British Leyland cost cutting style it suffered from lack of development and quality control, and some of the early cars had a habit of melting the piston crowns right through the centre after a sustained speed run.
I replaced engines on three of these under warranty and then decided to check out the fourth to find out why it had done this before I stripped the engine out and replaced it.
The car was running with the ignition timing some 18 degrees advanced and the resultant pre-ignition at speed is what had holed the piston. This happened due to the vacuum take off for the distributor capsule becoming disconnected from the inlet manifold because the rubber used incredibly was not fuel proof and had perished and fallen off in only three months! The instant this happens there is a dual effect of advancing the timing massively and also leaning out the cylinder that has the vacuum take off to the point where that piston fails.
After some further research I discovered that this was the cause in almost all of them and it was always the same piston.
I decided to run one of these myself and had a 2.8 with a manual 'box and overdrive.
I removed the head and gas flowed it, and rebuilt it paying particular attention to the fuel and ignition systems, and fitted high quality Bosch neoprene vacuum tubing throughout.
At that time Lumenition optic eye electronic ignition had come out and proved to be utterly superb on these Lucas distributors; so it was fitted to the 2.8.
The only other mod was a lightened flywheel, a must on any Jag of that age as they were unbelievably heavy.
The car was beautiful to drive and went up to the red line with a sweetness that the 4.2 never had; but you had to use the revs and drive the engine. When you did it was amazingly quick.
Had Jaguar gone down the route of developing this engine with Bosch injection and a four valve head I think it would have been a real winner, particularly with the advent of the turbocharging era.
As far as MK1 handling goes, there is no doubt that the back end is too narrow when compared to modern designs, but was originally styled that way because the first 2.4 cars had full depth spats over the rear wheels, a la XK120, and it was simply to give clearance for these.
But I have owned numerous Mk1s and drove them virtually flat out and honestly never found any unstability at all.
But most of mine were 3.4s with wire wheels which increases the track quite a bit, and definitely improves the roadholding significantly.
Comparing the handling of the MK2/S Type is quite interesting.
The Mk2 had a virtually identical rear axle and suspension system to the MK1 except that it was wider, but was a live axle with inverted leaf springs and separate piston shocks: very simple and traditional.
The S Type used the Es independent rear end housed in a subframe with four coil spring damper units and inboard discs, so it was very much more sophisticated than the MK2.
But it was also a damn site heavier, and if you lost it in a corner in the wet you had a real problem!! This was compounded by the extra rear hangover weight of the extended boot and high mounted twin tanks of the S Type.
The quickest and best Jag saloon of that era I have driven was a MK1 with a MK2 Power Lock axle and a 3.8 engine running a big valve head with twin 2inch SUs.
It left you trembling after a drive!!
Edited by jith on Sunday 18th March 22:47
eccles said:
a chap i know is a bit of a jaguar fan (he's got a ss100, ss saloon,xk120fhc and an xk140 and probably more!), about 20 years ago he picked up a lovely mk1 jag from an old lady local to him. it was one owner from new, but after her husband died and the headgasket went it was parked up for years.
after getting it home he gave it a wash, and it turned out to be in pretty good nick, with very minimal rust. it was that lovely dark shade of almost black, green, had spats on the rear wheels , the tool kit was complete and the front seats were unusual (either it had a bench seat, and individual seats were more normal, or the other way round.)
he ran it for several years unrestored and eventually sold it on.
after getting it home he gave it a wash, and it turned out to be in pretty good nick, with very minimal rust. it was that lovely dark shade of almost black, green, had spats on the rear wheels , the tool kit was complete and the front seats were unusual (either it had a bench seat, and individual seats were more normal, or the other way round.)
he ran it for several years unrestored and eventually sold it on.
What your friend had Eccles was probably a 2.4 Mk1 standard model with an auto 'box.
The standard model with the auto 'box was distinguished from the Special Equipment model in that it had a front bench seat with the gear selector on the centre of the dash, no rev counter or clock, and believe it or not, no heater!! The early cars also had full rear spats, narrow, heavy slatted front grill and huge drum brakes.
I had a retired squadron leader from Largs used to bring one in for servicing, and it was British Racing Green, (I mean he was a retd. SL, what other colour would it be!!), with suede green leather and was utterly pristine.
I aked him what he did in the winter because of the lack of a heater and he replied, "take the bus!"
By the way, in the '50s Jaguar had I think three shades of BRG.
The darkest one was the one for me, and is the only colour for a C type!
Edited by jith on Sunday 18th March 23:18
Well, I've had all three and can comment about the handling. Frankly the talk about the difference between the Mk1 and Mk2 is much overdone because it is only in extremis that you'd find out the difference. I confess to not being that good though. Anyway, Grant Williams seems to do quite well with a Mk1 at Goddwood each Revival even when they made him run with a 2.4 engine! Both cars are lithe and sporting saloons, designed not only to transport the family to the race track and back but also to compete before driving home. The comfort of rear seat passengers is compromised by the solid axle especially on big bumps.
By contrast, the S type is a much underrated successor to both. No, it isn't a sporting saloon (although I watched one race at Castle Combe last year) but for grand touring is an instant hit. Smooth as silk no matter what the road surface and an enormous boot for all your luggage. We toured France 10 years back in one and had a ball, not counting the booze supply we crammed in before returning! It is tail heavy, but for someone who can't afford the telephone number prices of good Mk1 or 2's the S type is a worthy stand in. It just doesn't have the racing history, so magnificent examples fetch relative peanuts. Going on, there is the Mk X, and friends of mine have just purchased a one owner 20,000 mile 3.8 manual overdrive example for £3,000, in very good condition too. I've been offered five times that for my highly original Mk1 and a top Mk2 now fetches over £30,000 so frankly the S type and Mk X are bargains.
By contrast, the S type is a much underrated successor to both. No, it isn't a sporting saloon (although I watched one race at Castle Combe last year) but for grand touring is an instant hit. Smooth as silk no matter what the road surface and an enormous boot for all your luggage. We toured France 10 years back in one and had a ball, not counting the booze supply we crammed in before returning! It is tail heavy, but for someone who can't afford the telephone number prices of good Mk1 or 2's the S type is a worthy stand in. It just doesn't have the racing history, so magnificent examples fetch relative peanuts. Going on, there is the Mk X, and friends of mine have just purchased a one owner 20,000 mile 3.8 manual overdrive example for £3,000, in very good condition too. I've been offered five times that for my highly original Mk1 and a top Mk2 now fetches over £30,000 so frankly the S type and Mk X are bargains.
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