The Jaguar S-Type is a saloon car produced by Jaguar Cars in the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1968. Announced in 30 September 1963 [1] it was a technically more sophisticated development of the Mark 2, offering buyers a more luxurious alternative without the size and expense of the Mark X.

Jaguar’s S-Type is something of a conundrum in the classic car world: technically it’s a superior car to the Mk2 on which it was based, yet in a parallel of the Mini and Metro, the older car effectively outlived it, with the 240/340-badged Mk2 lasting until 1969 while S-Type production ended in 1968.

The 3.8 was the more popular engine choice by a 3 to 2 ratio in the S-Type, even though the 3.4-liter was more popular in the Mark 2. Even though both engines could be had with triple carburetors by that time, the S-Type’s engines only had two. The triple setup would not fit into the dated Mark 2 engine bay of the S-Type.

When the S-Type was introduced, only the 3.8 model was imported into the States, and the MK II 3.4 was substituted for the 3.8 model. . Front end styling (MKII on left compared to S-type on the right). Note the difference in headlight trims, foglight treatment, side lanps and indicators and thicker surround of the grille on the S-type.

When the Jaguar S-Type 3.8-liter Sedan launched, it was described by Motor magazine as “one of the most comfortably sprung cars in the world.” Ah, how we long for the 1960s when a pillowy ride and isolation from the highway was considered a positive attribute.