Fast Facts

• Best model: 4.2 manual/overdrive
• Worst model: 3.8 auto
• Budget buy: Any
• OK for unleaded?: Yes
• Will it fit in the garage? (mm): 5232mmx1930mm
• Spares situation: Not as good as Mk2
• DIY ease?: Ok, but heavy-duty
• Club support: Good
• Appreciating asset?: Not yet, but here’s hoping
• Good buy or good-bye?: Like to say the former…

Interior is even plusher than a Mk2 with rarer harder to track down parts and dearer to restore too.

Look for rust here and around window surround. Hard to eradicate and diffi cult to properly repair

Tons of space – less than 50 roomier limos were also built

XJ unit is hard pressed in heavyweight – look for over silent tappet, timing chain clatter and rear crank seal oil leaks

Mk10 was never made in Daimler form but latter limo was made up to '92 so parts supply is not bad at all

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Designed for the American market, the Mk10/420G was the biggest Jaguar saloon ever made, and now it’s one that’s as classic as any Mk2 or XJ6!

Come on, let’s be honest, have you ever considered a Jag Mk10 as an alternative to the iconic Mk2, S-Type or XJ6? Probably not and yet here’s a classic cat that’s as capable and deserving as any of that trio and at prices you simply can’t credit. The question is, does size really matter to you?

History

Aimed squarely at the lucrative US market, the Mk10 was introduced in 1961 and broke away with Jaguar tradition by following Mk1/Mk2 design and ditching the old chassis-framed separate body design in favour on a modern monocoque topped with very sleek clothing that, if truth be told, was as radical as the E-type. However, when compared to the rather Edwardianlooking MkIV it replaced, even at 4171lb, the Mk10 was a good deal heavier and, at well over 16ft long, the largest big cat in existence. Mechanically the Mk10 used a good percentage of E-type in its make up, including those famed XK engines (initially 265bhp 3.8-litre) and that legendary independent rear suspension that survived well into the 1990s.

The cabin was the most lavishly trimmed Jaguar yet but at around £2500 new, it was yet another Jaguar that seemed truly remarkable value for money back then. By 1964 the car gained the torquier 4.2-litre engine (with an alternator), a better all-synchro gearbox and a variable rate Varamatic power steering system in place of the original, lifeless, PAS set up. Potent V8 versions using Daimler’s splendid 4.5-litre V8 taken from the Majestic were experimented with at the time and proved remarkably quick and adept – too much so for Jaguar to consider making one although it has to be remembered that Browns Lane was developing its sensational V12 engine at the time and the MK10 also went shockingly quick when so equipped…

In 1965 the already huge Mk10 gained a special limousine offshoot, although less than 50 were built. The big cat’s last revamp came in 1966 when Jaguar’s fl agship was revised and rebadged the 420G (the outgoing S-Type became the plain 420 with a Mk10-like nose). The dawn of the XJ6 and subsequent longwheelbase versions spelt the end of the 420G, which bowed out at the turn of the decade although the basic design lived on in the stately Daimler DS420 limousines right up until 1992.

Driving

At around two tones and the size of a Transit van, the Mk10 is no E-type to push around. You need an awful lot of road space when driving even remotely enthusiastically and it’s not the best Jag in the handling stakes either, being far too – well, American! On the other hand the beast is best as a cruiser par excellence and as good as a Silver Shadow or XJ6. Certainly a good one is as comfy and as cosseting as a Roller. Even with those magnifi cent E-type engines employed, performance from thisbig bruiser is at best adequate (although the Daimler V8 development ones were reputed to have been astonishingly quick…) and because these engines are worked hard, you can expect little more than 16mpg and probably worse as age and mileage has taken its toll on the engine and fuel system. Unlike so many more modern Jags, you can’t really quibble over the cabin space in a Mk10. There’s acres of opulent room to stretch out in genuine Rolls-Royce like luxury and the boot is big too – well for a Jag at least! On a practical note, can you drive a car so big and wide where you live (taking one down a rural road is a bit of an adventure) and what about parking and storage outside the average semi? The answer is perhaps you can, because have you noticed the size of the current Ford Mondeo for example – it’s far bigger than the old Mk4 Zodiac while Vauxhall’s new Vectra replacement is almost as large as an old Land Rover Discovery! So perhaps this fat cat isn’t so big anymore…?

Prices

This is the best bit. Because the Jag Mk10 is so overlooked compared to the more fashionable Mk2 and XJ6, prices are almost a joke. Even the best-kept ones will fi nd it impossible to bust the £15,000-£20,000 barrier while less than half this will fund an entirely decent example. Try fi nding a compatible Mk2 for that sort of money! If anything, the earlier Mk10s are valued slightly higher than the fl ashier 420G. As ever, it’s best to buy the best you can afford: because there’s so little worth in this big cat, many have been run and restored on the cheap and are money pits of tomorrow for you to fall into.

Three Of A Kind

Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow

Like the Mk10, the Silver Shadow dragged its maker into the 20th Century and today they make exceptional value buys – if you buy a good one. Pre ’70 cars can feel strangely ponderous; T2s after ’76 drive the best. Bentley T Series a somewhat classier option, but all excel with their refi nement, craftsmanship and sheer sense of occasion. Not as dear to run as you’d fi rst image and there are even specialist breakers around to contain costs.

American cars

It’s diffi cult to select one particular Yank Tank of that era so we’ve grouped them all together… Caddys, Chevrolets, Lincolns, the range is massive and all match the Jaguar for size and appointments. The cat licks them all for handling dynamics however, but Yanks are super simple to run and most are well supported for spares and stuff across both side’s of the pond. Can be cheap, but most will be left-hand drive.

Aston Martin Lagonda

If you are after a big and brash Brit, then Aston’s square Lagonda is almost the spiritual successor to the Jag. Based upon a stretched DBS platform with V8 grunt and futuristic interior, the Lagonda is greedy and gaudy but still great value for money. Not cheap to run or maintain but there are dedicated specialists around to help. Has to be the cheapest way to own an Aston and who knows, like all DBs, their day may well come…