Jaguar Daimler and Mercedes Benz

[Foxbat]

When I was at school, I had a physics teacher who drove a Jaguar Mark 2 except, it wasn’t. It was a Daimler. I’ve often found the whole Jaguar/Daimler relationship quite confusing. For example, Jaguar still owns the Daimler marque but Daimler is part of the Mercedes-Benz group.
I’ve found a link that explains the history of the whole situation and now I know.

Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust

Where the Legend Comes to Life

www.jaguarheritage.com

Jaguar are an odd company when it comes to car manufacturing. For instance, we all know the E-Type but why is there no A or B Type? That’s because the C-Type was built to race and stood for Competition Type.
This evolved into another racing car that was simply called the D-Type for no other reason than alphabetical progression. And then, we later get the road-going E-Type.

Here’s another oddity. The Jaguar Mark 5 is an older design than the Mark 2. You’d naturally expect the Mark 5 to be a more recent evolution of the Mark 2 but not at Jaguar. It’s called the Mark 5 because (apparently) it took five attempts to build a suitable chassis.

Feature Jaguar Mark V - Issuu

The Mark V was the final expression of the original Jaguar saloon style which had made its entrance back in 1935. It was also the last Jaguar saloon body to be built inhouse (until Jaguar took control of the Castle Bromwich plant some 30 years later). It was also the first S.S./Jaguar...

issuu.com

 

[Foxbat]

Just as an extra, here are the histories of the Jaguar C Type and D Type.

Jaguar C-Type - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Enzo Ferrari once said that the Jaguar E-Type was the most beautiful car in the world.
I have to disagree. For me, the D-Type beats all comers. You can, however, see where the E-Type DNA comes from. It's very clear how this design evolved into Jaguar's most iconic road car.

Jaguar D-Type - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

And, of course, the E-Type. A friend of mine has a fully restored E-Type (left hand drive, shipped in from California). When you hear the engine (straight six 3.8 litre) it really does purr like a big cat.

Jaguar E-Type - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[HareBrain]

And, of course, the E-Type. A friend of mine has a fully restored E-Type (left hand drive, shipped in from California). When you hear the engine (straight six 3.8 litre) it really does purr like a big cat.

I recently drove a convertible one for half an hour or so. An interesting and mostly enjoyable experience, but not one I'd want to repeat in the wet, in the dark, or in busy traffic. Drivers then must have been made of sterner stuff.

 

[Foxbat]

I recently drove a convertible one for half an hour or so. An interesting and mostly enjoyable experience, but not one I'd want to repeat in the wet, in the dark, or in busy traffic. Drivers then must have been made of sterner stuff.

My friend's E-Type is also a convertible. When he first got it, it took us around twenty minutes to figure out how to put the roof up. Not good if it's chucking it down. Needless to say it only comes out on dry summer days.