The 2.4 saloon of 1955 had been a major step for Jaguar, marking as it did the change from a coachbuilt chassis to one of unitary construction; it was a necessary move, however, Jaguar being aware there was a strong market for a more compact saloon than the big Mk IX.

Powered by a 2,482cc version of the superb twin cam straight six XK engine first seen in the XK120 (which had already achieved four Le Mans victories), the 2.4 offered luxury,   performance and value for money.

Using coil spring/wishbone front and semi-elliptic spring rear suspension, it possessed fine road manners and proved a great success, both on and off the track, particularly when the Mk I, as it subsequently became known, became available with the 3.4 litre engine in February 1957.

It was in October 1959 that the Mk II version appeared, making a good car even better.

Similar in appearance but with a much larger glass area, it boasted a wider rear track to improve roadholding together with minor front suspensio...