Jaguar Mark 2

Jaguar Mark 2, 240 and 340
Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 Litre, first registered 1963
Overview
Manufacturer	Jaguar Cars
Also called	Jaguar 240 & Jaguar 340 (from September 1967) Jaguar 3.8 Sedan (US market)
Production	1959–1967 83,976 (Mark 2) 1967–1969 7,234 (240 & 340)
Assembly	Coventry, England
Body and chassis
Class	Mid-size luxury / Executive car (E) Sports saloon
Body style	4-door saloon
Layout	FR layout
Related	Daimler 2.5-V8 / V8-250 Jaguar S-Type Jaguar 420
Powertrain
Engine	2,483 cc (2.5 L) XK I6 3,442 cc (3.4 L) XK I6 3,781 cc (3.8 L) XK I6 (until 1966)
Dimensions
Wheelbase	107 in (2,718 mm)
Length	180 in (4,572 mm)
Width	67 in (1,702 mm)
Height	58 in (1,473 mm)
Kerb weight	3,174 lb (1,440 kg) 2.4 manual without overdrive
Chronology
Predecessor	Jaguar Mark 1
Successor	not replaced, Jaguar XJ6

The Jaguar Mark 2 is a medium-sized saloon car built from late 1959 to 1967 by Jaguar in Coventry, England. Twelve months before the announcement of the XJ6 the 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre Mark 2 models were renamed to Jaguar 240 and Jaguar 340 respectively. The previous Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre models made between 1955 and 1959 have been identified as Mark 1 Jaguars since Jaguar produced this Mark 2 model.

Until the XJ, Jaguar's postwar saloons were usually denoted by Roman numerals (e.g. Mark VII, Mark VIII) while the Mark 2 used Arabic Numerals, denoted on the rear of the car as "MK 2".

Adhering to Sir William Lyons' maxim of "grace, pace and space", the Mark 2 was a fast and capable saloon. It came with a 120 bhp (89 kW; 120 PS) 2,483 cubic centimetres (152 cu in), 210 bhp (160 kW; 210 PS) 3,442 cubic centimetres (210 cu in) or 220 bhp (160 kW; 220 PS) 3,781 cubic centimetres (231 cu in) Jaguar XK engine. The 3.8 is similar to the unit used in the 3.8 E-Type (called XKE in the USA), having the same block, crank, connecting rods and pistons but different inlet manifold and carburation (two SUs versus three on the E-Type in Europe) and therefore 30 bhp (22 kW) less. The head of the six-cylinder engine in the Mark 2 had curved ports compared to the straight ports of the E-Type configuration. The 3.4 Litre and 3.8 Litre cars were fitted with twin SU HD6 carburettors and the 2.4 Litre with twin Solex carburettors.

Some explanation is required concerning the claimed bhp figures shown above. Jaguar used gross bhp figures throughout the production period of the Mk II and 240/340 models. A direct conversion into DIN bhp is not possible, but we know that the 3.8 Mk II engine developed around 190 bhp DIN. This compares with the later 4.2 XJ6 engine which also gave around 190 bhp DIN or 245 gross bhp, according to Jaguar, both being for 8:1 compression engines. The explanation was that the lower peak for the XJ6 4.2 engine meant that the bhp was being delivered at less rpm, for the same output. The camshaft timing and inlet and exhaust valve sizes were the same for the 2.4,3.4,3.8 Mk II and XJ6 4.2 engines, so the engines throttled themselves sooner in the bigger engine sizes. The later 4.2 XJ6 engines had special induction pipes, to reduce exhaust emissions, that crossed over between the inlet and exhaust sides of the engine, which reduced bhp to around 170 bhp on later production.