1968 JAGUAR 420

Serial number 1F2T124DN
Rare manual gearbox
French registration

The Jaguar 420 was launched on 13 October 1966 at the London Motor Show. Very consistent and with a real personality, the 420 appears balanced, temperate, but above all elegant. Under the bonnet, the 4.2-litre engine powers the luxury saloon. One of the 420's strong points is also its braking system, which is more efficient than the S-type. Bernard Viart in his excellent book "Jaguar Sedans and Tradition" describes the 420: "On the road, the 420 is brilliant, fast, responsive and leaves the Mark II 3.4 and 3.8 litre S far behind in terms of acceleration to 100mph".
Luxurious and comfortable, Jaguar wanted to move further into the realm of the status sedan with a significant reserve of power under the right foot. With its sporting past and its victories in competition in the 1950s and 1960s, the feline firm thought it was going to do well with its MK X, and it was almost as successful as the E-type. Despite this, the saloon was quickly dismissed or even undercut by a large part of their clientele who preferred to turn to Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.

This Jaguar 420 was first registered on 7 February 1968. Aesthetically, the saloon is striking with its plunging grille and sculpted hips; the brand's promise of a car that is as statuesque and leaping as a feline on its prey is fulfilled. The car's metallic grey paintwork reveals a rather nice patina showing a quality paint job done a few years ago. The interior is where the 420 really comes into its own; the atmosphere created by the red leather upholstery gives the car a lot of character. The very large front seats, separated by a central armrest, are of a rare comfort, showing that Jaguar has indeed tried to chase the Rolls-Royce's territory. The instrumentation is in the vein of what the company did on the E-Type in particular; the speedometer and rev counter face the driver while the oil pressure, water temperature and fuel gauge dials sit in the middle of the varnished wood dashboard. In the middle of the centre console stands the bakelite gear knob.
Mechanically, the 4.2L inline 6-cylinder engine seems to be running well. Our car has been recently refurbished: stainless steel exhaust, front ball joints changed, brakes revised, carburetion adjusted, tanks treated, ...
Choosing a Jaguar 420 is above all appreciating the driving comfort with a noble engine that you can feel when your right foot hits the accelerator pedal. With the price now at its lowest, the 420 is surely an investment for the future.