Classic Cars
From the U.K.

JAGUAR CARS LIMITED

 The Jaguar Motor Company was formed in  1935 by Sir William Lyons and William Walmsley from the former Swallow Sidecar Company, when the first SS Jaguar 2.5L saloon was first introduced.
In 1960 it purchased the Daimler Motor Company which then became its premier brand on all models.
Several ownership changes occurred involving British Motor Corporation, British Leyland, the Ford Motor Company and from 2008 is now owned by Tata Motors of India. (*2)

Our story of classics begins in 1935 with the Mark IV which had earlier been named the SS. The first unit was a 1608cc later increased to 1776cc but referred to as the 1 1/2 litre, production continuing through to 1949.  Beginning also in 1935 but ending in 1948, the 2 1/2 litre and 3 1/2 litre Mark IV also offered a Drophead coupe with the saloon. 6,281 models were produced during the 13 year period.  The 3 models had total production of 25,142. This is the 3 1/2 Mark IV of 1939.
 There are few cars to compare to the Jaguar XK Series involving the 120, 140 and 150. The 120 denoted the expected top speed although this did not apply to the later models. For collectors, these 3 models are cheap compared to other European classics but will still cost a few 100 thousand US$ for a good concours, particularly the XK120.
Beginning production in 1948, 12055 were produced until 1954 and during this period, succeeded in winning many races in UK, USA, Australia and many places in-between. They came with a 3442cc DOHC straight 6 in 2 door Coupe, Drophead and Roadster. Clearly, the Drophead and Roadster (right) are more desirable. (*3)
 The XK140 came with the same 3 body styles and the same engine and were produced for only 3 short years from 1954 to '57. Only about 8,943 were produced making them rarer and correspondingly more valuable.
 Automatic transmission was offered for the first time in 1956.

 The last of this series was the XK150 which was a serious redesign of the bodywork and interior with considerable improvements in performance and decor. In 1958, a rear seat was fitted, not big enough to warrant a "2+2" label. In 1959 the engine capacity was increased to 3781ccFrom 1957 to 1961, 8382 units were produced. A genuine collector or a concours job is warranted on any of these models but my personal favouriate is the 140. Above is the rare 3.8L, XK150 in Convertible format. (*5)
Some might believe that the Mark V, and Mark VII should be included but they are very difficult to concours and did not provide the same opulence as the later Mark VIII and Mark IX which themselves, were almost identical. It surprised me to see that the Mark IX was only in production between 1959 to 1961 and that only 10,009 were produced only in a 4 door saloon. It helps to substantiate my listing, partly because every second wedding car and function limousine in Australia is a Mark IX.
One of the most popular Jaguars to concours has always been the Mark II. Spare parts are readily available and with 91,21o produced between 1959 and '67, there are always plenty on the market, in various conditions of disrepair. All 4 door saloons, models came with 2483cc (2.4), 3442cc (3.4) and 3781cc (3.8), 4 door, automatic or manual transmission. It has been said that the Mark II epitomised William Lyons' logo of "grace, pace and space". Left is the more popular Mark II 3.4 (*7) of which there were 28,666 produced.
 Following the success of the Mark II it was considered that a major upgrade was necessary (which, because of the continuing popularity of the Mark II was not entirely true) and the S-Type was introduced in 1963 and continued to 1968 with 24,993 units with 1965 the best selling year. The 6 in-line 3.4 and 3.8 engines and gear boxes continued in use.

The Jaguar E-Type. Three models between 1961 and 1975. All 2 door in coupe and convertible although the Series 1 also came in a 2+2, others were all 2 seaters. Initially with a 3.8 and 4.2 litre engine, the Series 3 came with a 5.3 litre V12. 7 years of the Series 1 produced 38,419 units while only 2 years of the Series 2 produced 18,809 units. The Series 3 ran from 1971 to '75 with 18,287 units. The many improvements in the Series 2 makes it the better choice but as they say "Any E will do". This 1970 Series 2 came 3rd in a 2006 Concours. (*1)

 A hard act to follow was the E-Type but Jaguar almost achieved it with the XJ-S of which 14,800 were produced between 1975 and 1980. Ford continued production through to 1996. The body style was obviously based loosely on the XJ6 (which I refuse to list as a classic) It used the 5.3L V12 from the E-Type and came only in a 2 door Coupe. (*6) More than many others of the Jaguar stable, is very suitable as a road car in the 21st century. 

DAIMLER MOTOR COMPANY
The Daimler Motor Company had its origins from the same Gottleib Daimler who licensed several companies to use his name. From 1896 to 1960, it operated as an independent brand with limited success and no cars that I would list here as classics. The company was acquired by Jaguar in 1960 from whence, production became rather special.
Jaguar decided that within its own range of cars, the Daimler derivatives should represent the high-end market.
Despite that, the last model produced before the Jaguar acquisition was the Daimler Dart, later renamed the SP250 which Jaguar wisely regarded as worthy of continuing production through to 1964. The 2547cc V8 was one of the smallest V8s ever produced. It came with 4 speed manual or automatic. 2 door, 2 seat but with a tiny rear seat.

The first Daimler car designed by Jaguar after its acquisition was the Daimler 2.5 V8 which used the same motor and gear box as the SP250. Essentially, it was a re-badged Mark II but true to Lyons' intention, was superior in many internal decor and some external parts. Sales between 1962 to '69 were only 17,620, about 1/2 of any of the Jaguar models which theoretically, makes them a better investment.  This is the 1967 model. (*9)
This is why I excluded the Jaguar XJ6 from my selection. From 1969 to 1976, the Daimler badge was applied to the Jaguar XJ6 and externally, little differed. The Sovereign used the Jaguar 4.2L V6 engine ringing the death knell of prior Daimler engines. Major differences included the option of a 2.8L engine and a 2 door coupe with optional sliding sun-roof.(see My Cars). Only 15,139 were produced with only 3,231 of the 2.8L model, making these cars, not only technically superior to the Jaguar XJ6 but also in far fewer numbers.

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References
*1 - madle.org
*2 - Wikipedia
*3 - Auto Classic.com
*4 - Remarkable Cars.com
*5 - Jaguar Addict.co.uk
*6 - Serious Wheels.com
*7 - Sports car Advisers
*8 - Car and Classic
*9 - Shannons

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