The Jaguar S-Type

Here's a very useful video about the S-Type Jaguar. I used to own an S-Type. In New Zealand they tended to be automatic. That's because they were a bit more expensive than other Jaguar saloons and so you needed to be a bit richer to own one. That meant being older and older drivers preferred auto.

But not mine, it was sold to a doctor on the Kapiti coast, a 3.8 manual with overdrive. Legend has it that in the UK, getaway drivers used the S-Type. Its independent rear suspension gave it better handling, and its power meant it could outrun anything the cops were using, including Mk2 Jaguars. To illustrate the point, Sybil Lupp used to say that if an S-Type and a Mk2 left Wellington for Auckland at the same time and never exceeded the speed limit the whole way, the S-Type would arrive half an hour before the Mk2, due to that better handling (Archer and Lupp - Sybil Lupp was an expert on Jags and she developed a range of unique tools for working on them) .

I used my S-Type even when I started in business. It had a tow bar and I could be seen towing equipment all over Christchurch - I had moved from Wellington to the South Island. In one of those funny instances where someone tells you about yourself without them knowing who they're talking to; this guy was on the phone and I got the impression he had mistaken me for a competitor. So, I asked him what's that Ken Horlor like? The reply was, 'Oh he's all right, bit of a Yuppy, drives a Jag.' Praise then.