Eight ’60s and ’70s Jaguars that rocked the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival

1. 1964 E-Type ‘Semi-lightweight’

Mark Carroll’s 1964 E-Type dropped jaws all the way through Windsor, it’s purposeful and clean lines astounding us all. The de-cluttered look of the ‘semi-lightweight’ only enhances the seductive shape of the Series 1 E-Type, a shape made even more purposeful by the car’s flared aluminium bodywork.

2. 1970 Series 1 XJ6

A car with such a long life that an XJ also appeared in our list of post-1980 cars , this time it is the Series 1 XJ we are focusing on. This 1970 4.2 litre looked both aggressive and graceful at once in the Royal Quadrangle. 

The XJ had a tall order to match during its development – replacing four saloon cars with just one. The length of its production run and the sales figures of the model suggest it achieved just that.

3. 1974 E-Type

There’s some who say the louvred bonnet and wide grille of the Series 3 E-Type make it a less graceful car than preceding models – we say it gives them an intimidating presence, unlike other E-Types.

In a deliciously shady black, this 1974 Series 3 looks like it makes no apologies for its glorious V12 heart, nor should it!

4. 1966 S-Type

Brian Foley’s 1966 S-Type is a stunning example of Jaguar’s middle-range ’60s saloon that is far from the most famous, but certainly one of the finest cars around. With Jaguar’s famed independent-rear-suspension, the car represented a sophisticated step forward from the MK2.

5. The XJ13

Built as a potential Le Mans contender, the XJ13 never actually competed in any race. Its development had to take second place to the all-new XJ6, introduced in 1968. By the time XJ13 was complete its design had become obsolete and Le Mans regulations had changed.

Many of the lessons learned in the development of the V12 engine were applied to the production V12 which lasted for 25 years.

We were so excited about seeing the XJ13 in the lead up to the festival, we wrote a whole piece about it here.

6. 1968 420

As the fourth car to join Jaguar’s confusing mid-sixties saloon range, the 420’s raison d’etre has always been somewhat nebulous. Whatever the context of the model, however, nothing can stop the 420 from being a stylish, luxurious and comfortable saloon. 

Dynamically the 420 was ahead of most of its rivals, having been based on the underpinnings of the S-Type, showing what was possible for a luxury saloon.

7.1971 E-Type 2+2

Undoubtedly, one of any Series 3 owner’s favourite parts of their car is the exhaust note of their V12. For a while, Jaguar fitted the perfect exhaust tip for it as well, the instrument-like ‘quad fantail’. 

Add-in the steep haunches of the 2+2 and you get one of the best rears around! Certainly, this 1971 was drawing plenty of admiring glances.

8. 1964 Mk2

What list of ’60s Jags could be complete without a Mk2? The compact saloon cemented Jaguar’s reputation as a maker of sporting saloons that ran rings around nearly anything else in their segment.

The appeal of the car hasn’t waned with age either – it was one of the most numerous attendees of our parade through Windsor.