1963 MkII Jaguar

The MkII (or Mark II) Jaguar is just one "Mark" in a long series of

vehicles that began in 1945 with the Mark IV and ended in 1970 with the discontinuation of the Mark X, the Jaguar company's largest so-called "saloon" (sedan) car.

The Mark II, which was first manufactured in 1959, was a comparably medium-sized saloon car and was considered a shining example of the Jaguar founder William Lyon's governing philosophy of "grace, pace, and space." The Mark II could be purchased with either a 2.4 L, a 3.4 L, or a 3.8 L XK six-cylinder. Jaguar ceased production of the Mark II in 1966, but not before the car had time to make a fine and notorious reputation for itself.

Those familiar with the British smash-hit television series "Inspector Morse" will be quick to recognize the MkII Jaguar as the plucky, slightly scruffy little vehicle driven by Inspector Morse himself. In real life, the MkII was known for leading police officers on merry chases along the U.K.'s then speed limit-less motorways. The car, with its large boot and room for five, was a favorite amongst bank robbers, especially in its fastest manifestation--the 3.8 L. In the essence of fairness, many police squads opted to utilize the MkII themselves, thus turning potentially lost chases into wild-eyed races.