AP Spotlight: 1962-70 Jaguar Mark X and 420G

In honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Jaguar name, this week's feature is the car that would inspire Jaguar design for nearly 50 years: the large, lush, and lustrous Jaguar Mark X and 420G, made from 1962-70.

The Mark X was a milestone vehicle for Jaguar, in part because it set the styling mold in which most Jaguars would be cast for 48 years hence. However, its importance in the Jaguar lineage was underscored by the fact that the independent rear suspension that debuted under it, at the same time as did on the storied E-Type, remained in production for 35 years, until the last 1996 Jaguar XJS rolled off the line. What's more, the 4.2L version of Jaguar's world-beating XK family of inline sixes debuted in the Mark X in 1964, and would go on to power the high-luxury Daimler DS420 limousine until 1992, an amazing 28 years later.

Sensibly, the Mark X (pronounced "Mark Ten") was the replacement for the rather upright and old-fashioned Jaguar Mark IX. Gone was the 1930s styling with curved fenders that were outboard the body. In its stead, a longer, far lower, and much wider body with flow-through fenders debuted to some level of controversy. Much of the wideness of the car's body was down to the thickness of its doors. In fact, the Mark X's doors were so heavy, they had to be spring-loaded in order for their operators to open and close them with the amount of effort appropriate for a fine large luxury car.

At the front, the new Jag received forward-thrusting lines with a lower horseshoe-shaped grille and Jaguar's first display of quad headlights in tunnels that the hood and fenders bulged to accommodate. The quad headlight look would eventually be featured on the first, second, and third generation XJ sedans, as well as the recent X-Type. The look has become so iconic, in fact, that in Jaguar's latest XF and XJ sedans, you can still see the look recalled faintly in the headlight and hood shapes.

Despite the car's unit construction, which dispensed with the typically heavier separate body-on-frame setup, the Mark X ended up quite heavy, at nearly 4,200lbs. But that didn't mean the big cat couldn't get out of its own way. With its standard 3.8L 6-cylinder engine (of the evergreen XK family) breathing through three SU carburetors, developing 265 horsepower and mated to a 3-speed automatic or an overdrive-equipped manual transmission, the low leviathan had enough go-power to motivate the car to a top speed of 120mph. This made it one of the fastest production sedans of its day, and allowed the Mark X to stand, head held high, in the showroom next to Jaguar's magnificent new E-Type sports car, introduced just 9 months earlier.

In the new Jag, technological advancement didn't come at the cost of traditional luxury and comfort. In fact, the Mark X would be the last Jaguar to feature an all-wood instrument panel. Plush leather seats and front seatback-mounted rear picnic tables with integrated vanity mirrors ensured that the driver and each passenger was comfortable and well-accommodated.

Despite the inherent goodness and the degree of advancement the new Mark X possessed, sales were not impressive. Part of this might have been down to the controversial (for a very conservative early '60s Britain) styling. Labor disputes in the factories would periodically plague the company and result in reduced production and lost sales. But perhaps the biggest pressure on Mark X sales was the availability of smaller, lighter, lither Jaguar sedans (Mark 2, S-Type, and 420) that would feature prominently in famous television shows of the day, as well as the shockingly lovely E-Type sports car that instantly became legendary. So the Mark X got lost amidst all the buzz surrounding the rest of the Jaguar lineup.

Jaguar didn't let the Mark X fade away into the woodwork, however. In 1964, the car received a new, torquier 4.2L Inline-6 that yielded better fuel economy, a slightly higher top speed, and an astonishing sub-10 second sprint from 0-60. The manual transmission took on four forward gears, all of which got easier-to-use synchromesh, while the automatic transmission remained optional and common in cars shipped to North America. However, sales only continued to slide.

So Jaguar, for the 1967 model year, lightly facelifted the Mark X by adding a chrome spear down the car's body side, a wide chrome vertical bar in the center of the grille, and revised front turn indicator lenses. Instrument panels were revised as crash-safe padding replaced the wood trim at the top of the instrument panel. Air conditioning - at this time rarely seen in most cars - became optional for the first time. The revised car took on the "420G" name. "420" indicated the car's 4.2L engine size, while "G" suffix differentiated the car from the smaller S-Type-based 420 sedan. However, the updates did the car's sales figures no good, as the smaller, less expensive 420 had adopted the larger car's engine and similar frontal styling, for less money.

In the mid-to-late '60s, things at Jaguar were changing fast. The company, independent until 1966, had merged with the British Motor Corporation - makers of the original Mini, MGs, Morris Minors, etc. - to form British Motor Holdings. But the poorly-managed money-hemhorraging BMH wouldn't last long, and merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation - makers of Triumph, Rover, and Leyland Trucks - to form industrial giant and perennial corporate basket case/nightmare British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968.

The immediate effect on Jaguar, sitting with Daimler at the top of the BLMC brand hierarchy with the Austin, Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley, Triumph, Rover, Land Rover, Leyland Trucks, and Vanden Plas brands all filing in behind, was minimal. That year, the non-G 420, S-Type, and 240/340 were all replaced by the all-new Jaguar XJ6. That same year, 420G soldiered on at the top of the range, and even offered its floor pan, engine, and more than a few styling cues to the aforementioned Daimler DS420 limousine, which debuted that year, as well.

However, with sales figures that had slowed to a trickle, a V12 long wheelbase flagship version of the XJ6 in the works, and a money-losing corporate parent bent on cost-cutting and rationalization of each of its myriad brands' vehicle lineups, it was clear that future was short for the large leaper. By 1970, the axe finally fell. The last 420G rolled off the assembly line in June. Since the first Mark X rolled off the line in 1961 a little over 24,200 would follow in the succeeding 9 years. About 10,370 made it to the US.

Just as it was in the showrooms of the 1960s, the Mark X/420G is largely overlooked by car collectors today. Most flock to the racy E-Types or compact power-packed Mark 2s and S-Types. Which is why Mark X's and 420Gs in good condition will set you back about $15k. The smaller Mark 2s and S-Types will run more than double that.

So what we have in the Mark X/420G is something truly rare and special. It's on one hand a beautiful, spacious, luxurious car. It has ground-breaking design, with modern engineering advancements that give it the speed and handling characteristics that its competitors could only dream about. On the other hand, because of its relative - and undeserved - obscurity, this classic full-figured feline is also attainable for those with more taste and discernment than money in the bank.