Jaguar Cars Compared, 1948 to 1975

Introduction

Between 1948 and 1975 Jaguar built three families of car side by side: sports cars, saloons and racing cars. This page sets them out in comparable tables, so you can see how an XK120 measured against an E-Type, or a Mark 2 against an XJ6, and which cars were on sale at the same time.

The full story behind these cars is told in the Jaguar history. For the XK120, XK140 and XK150 in depth, see the Jaguar XK140 Archive; for the Mark 2 and its restomod upgrades, see the Jaguar Mk2 Archive. Both are companion sites, and each has a short page placing its car in the Jaguar story.

How the figures were sourced. Production totals come from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT), the XK and E-Type chassis registers (xkdata and xkedata), and the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club. Performance figures are from named period road tests, with the magazine and year given. Prices are UK prices at or near launch. Where good sources disagree, the table gives the best-supported figure and the notes below list the alternatives.

A few cautions apply throughout:

• Power figures before about 1972 are usually gross ratings, which read higher than the later DIN figures.
• Road-test speeds come from cars tested by the magazines at the time. Some press cars were carefully prepared, so an average car may not match them.
• Prices include purchase tax unless the table says "basic".

Sports cars, 1948 to 1975

Four generations of XK and E-Type took Jaguar's sports car from 160 bhp and drum brakes to a 5.3-litre V12 with ventilated discs, while the claimed top speed rose from 120 mph to 150 mph.

E-Type production in total was around 72,500, of which roughly 85% was exported. Production figures for the XK and E-Type are from the xkdata and xkedata chassis registers; road tests and prices are from the period magazines named, some via later published summaries.

The XK140 Archive gives its own production totals for the XK120, XK140 and XK150, separating chassis numbers allocated from cars built, which is why its figures differ slightly from the register figures used here. See the XK120, XK140 and XK150 pages.

Saloons, 1948 to 1975

Jaguar's saloons moved from separate chassis and drum brakes to monocoque bodies, disc brakes and independent rear suspension, and the Mark 2, at around 84,000, was the best-selling Jaguar of the Lyons era until the XJ6.

The XJ Series 2 saloons of 1973 to 1979 sold in large numbers but fall outside the Lyons era; JDHT gives 127,961, Wikipedia 91,227.

For the Mark 2 as a car to own and improve, see the Jaguar Mk2 Archive.

Racing and competition cars

Fewer than 200 of these cars were built in period, but they won Le Mans five times in seven years and shaped every road Jaguar that followed.

The continuation cars are new cars built by Jaguar Classic to original specification, often using chassis numbers allocated but never used in period. They are listed separately so they are not confused with the original production.

How the ranges overlapped

By the late 1960s Jaguar was building the E-Type alongside as many as five saloon families at once, which is why Lyons replaced most of them with a single car, the XJ6.

Production years are approximate to the month and taken from JDHT production guides and the model registers; start and end dates vary slightly between sources.

Notes on the figures

The tables use the best-supported figure. These are the main places where good sources disagree.

Cells marked "Not verified" are those where no period source could be confirmed. Corrections from owners, clubs and model registers are very welcome through the contact page.