The term compact car was coined by American Motors for its Rambler in 1950 and further popularized in 1960 when General Motors, Ford and Chrysler introduced their smaller Ford Falcon, Chevrolet Corvair and Chrysler (soon to be Plymouth) Valiant. Compact referred to a car approximately 4,572 mm (180 in.) long with a wheelbase in the 2,540 to 2,794 mm (100 to 110 in.) range.
In the early 1950s Jaguar Cars Ltd., of Coventry, England offered two cars, both at the luxury end of the market: the high performance XK120 sports car and full size Mark VII sedan. In the mid-fifties they decided to expand Jaguar鈥檚 offerings into a more affordable price range with a car between the XK Series and the large sedan.
In doing so Jaguar anticipated the Big Three by four years with its compact 1956 Jaguar 2.4 sedan. A 2,728 mm (107.4 in.) wheelbase and 4,597 mm (181 in.) length fit the category perfectly. It was a direct descendent of the 1949 Jaguar XK120 roadster that stunned the world with its 193 km/h (120 mph) speed and 160 horsepower double overhead camshaft inline six that helped popularize twin-cam engines.
The smaller Jaguar 2.4 sedan was a lovely car. Unmistakably Jaguar in appearance, it had the usual Jaguar luxury and styling cues while inside were leather seats and walnut dash and trim. It was also ahead of its stable mates in one important technical aspect: it had modern unit construction rather than Jaguar鈥檚 traditional body-on-frame.
For its first unit construction car, Jaguar decided to go to an outside supplier for the body shell. It chose Pressed Steel Co. based in nearby Cowley. They were already building Mark VII sedan bodies so Jaguar was familiar with their work. A small benefit of the unitary body was a 23 kg (50 lb) lb lighter car.
But as appealing as the 鈥渂aby鈥� Jaguar was it became apparent there was a problem. Tests soon revealed a lack of the expected Jaguar performance, a serious shortcoming particularly in the North American market on which Jaguar depended heavily.
The 2.4鈥檚 engine had been created by destroking the famous XK six by 29 mm (1.16 in.) thereby reducing displacement from 3.4 to 2.4 litres (2,483 cc) and horsepower from 160 to 112. It would still make the magic 鈥渢on鈥� (100 mph/ 161 km/h) but barely. Road & Track (8/56) recorded 163 km/h (101 mph).
Jaguar quickly realised that the 2.4 required better performance, so in the spring of 1957 it introduced the 3.4 model. It was similar in appearance to the 2.4 except for a wider grille for increased airflow and cut out rear fenders replacing the 2.4鈥檚 full skirts. Four-wheel disc brakes became optional on the 2.4 and 3.4.
Under the hood the six was restored to its full 3.4 litres and 210 horsepower to provide the expected performance. Road & Track (6/57) recorded zero to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 10.4 seconds, up from the 2.4鈥檚 13.1. They estimated top speed at a very respectable 193 km/h (120 mph). And the larger engine could easily handle an automatic transmission, an important consideration for North America.
Production of the 2.4 and 3.4 continued until 1959 when they were succeeded by the derivative Mark II which brought an important chassis change: Its rear track was widened 82.5 mm (3.25 in.) to 1,356 mm (53.4 in.). This brought it close to the front track and corrected what was seen as both an aesthetic and technical deficiency in the 2.4/3.4.
The Mark II also got a larger 3.8 litre engine for even higher performance than the 3.4. Road & Track (8/60) reported zero to 97 km/h (60 mph) in 9.2 seconds and top speed of 201 km/h (125 mph).
The introduction of the new large 1962 Jaguar Mark X sedan to replace the aging Mark VII/VIII/IX was a sign that the chassis of the compact Jaguar was becoming obsolete. The Mark X had sophisticated independent rear suspension with inboard disc brakes for better stopping and handling than its solid axle predecessors.
Jaguar鈥檚 answer was the 1963 S-Type, an evolution of the 2.4/3.4/Mark II. It got the Mark X鈥檚 independent rear suspension, in the process gaining more than 136 kg (300 lb) and giving it less performance than the 3.8 litre Mark II.
The compact Jaguar, which evolved into slightly revised modes designated as 240 and 340, and 420 when fitted with the 4.2 litre version of the six, would continue until 1968. The arrival of the stunning new smaller but still roomy 1968 Jaguar XJ6 as the big Mark X鈥檚 replacement effectively bridged the full size and compact market segments, making the compact Jaguar redundant.
Those compact Jaguars are still fondly remembered by many as convenient sized cars with sparkling performance.
