Details of Cars

Jaguar S-Type: two generations under one name

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1965 Jaguar S-Type 3.8
Jaguar S-Type 3.8 of 1965. Photo by Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Jaguar S-Type is the name of two separate cars from different eras. The first was a luxury saloon sold from 1963 to 1968; the second was an executive car built from 1999 to 2008, whose styling deliberately echoed the 1960s original.

Jaguar S-Type at a glance

Jaguar S-Type key facts
First S-Type 1963–1968
Second S-Type 1999–2008
First car type luxury saloon
Second car type executive saloon
Namesakes no mechanical link between the two
Later model the 1999 car was replaced in the range by the XF

The English Wikipedia entry is a short index of the two S-Type generations; this page follows it and stays general. based on one source

History of the Jaguar S-Type

The 1963 car

The original Jaguar S-Type was a saloon built from 1963 to 1968. It sat above the Mark 2 in the range and shared the period’s XK six-cylinder engines and independent rear suspension, being the more spacious and refined alternative to the compact Mark 2.

2003 Jaguar S-Type R
Jaguar S-Type R of 2003. Photo by Calreyn88, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The 1999 car

Jaguar revived the name in 1999 for an executive saloon that stayed in production until 2008. Its design quoted the round headlamps and upright grille of the 1960s car, part of a wider retro trend at Jaguar at the time. The diesel version used a 2.7-litre V6 developed with Peugeot, the engine first previewed in the R-D6 concept of 2003.

A name used twice

Apart from the styling reference, the two S-Types have nothing in common: they belong to different platform generations, use different engines and were built more than thirty years apart. Jaguar eventually replaced the second S-Type with the XF.

Design and features

  • Two eras: a 1960s luxury saloon and a 2000s executive car under one name.
  • Retro styling: the 1999 car echoed the round headlamps of the original.
  • Diesel option: the later car offered the 2.7-litre V6 diesel shared with Peugeot.
  • Place in the range: both versions sat between the compact and the flagship Jaguar saloons.

Jaguar S-Type versions

  • S-Type (1963–1968): the original six-cylinder saloon.
  • S-Type (1999–2008): the retro-styled executive saloon, including a V6 diesel.

The first S-Type belonged to the era of the Jaguar Mark 2; the second was replaced by the Jaguar XF. More cars are in the Jaguar collection.

Sources

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