Minneapolis Street Sighting: Jaguar Mark IX

When I scout cars, I tend to go for the not-so-obvious; lately I've been getting more and more into European vehicles. As you know from reading, the E-Type is one of my favorite cars ever. But, I also love the Jaguar sedans; I am quite fond of the Mark II, but I was--and still am--quite fuzzy of Jaguar models beyond that.
The Mark IX was produced from 1959 to 1961 and positioned as a top-level Jaguar; like many luxury cars of its day, the Mark IX is a far cry from what we expect in luxury cars today; no multi-speed automatics, no big-diameter wheels, any definitely no option of 30 way power seats. But if you own a classic Jaguar, chances are you don't care about any of that.
With a lethargic 3 spd manual (with a finicky hydraulic clutch), shifts were cumbersome, and deliberate, making sure that the driver put all his effort into keeping the vehicle moving at a steady pace; brakes, too, were not up to much of any sporting when it came to time to stop the vehicle--and neither was the acceleration for that matter. Sixty mile per hour came a little over eleven seconds, and its top speed was just over a hundred miles and hour. A new XF, the Mark IX is not.
But performance isn't what this big Jag is about though; its about class. Why spend thousands more on a vintage Rolls or Bentley, when one can acquire as much class for cheaper. Granted, classic Jags are by no means cheap to begin with, but why spend more than needed?













Technically, this isn't a street sighting; its a "parking lot sighting", but dammit, I could not pass this up. Basking in all its green glory, this British sedan is motoring art at its finest; I am getting a fine taste of vintage Jaguars, and for me, finding this Mark IX was a real treat. Usually, if I see Jaguars, they're lowly XJS', or perhaps maybe a rotten XJ6. But never something as magnificent as this; outside, this thing was a minter.
Inside, too, showed no signs of abnormal wear and tear; unlike most British sedans, this Mark IX did not have the seemingly obligitory tan interior; instead it wears hides matching the exterior paint color. I've gotten say, I quite like this treatment. Instead of coming off as "oh, it's another British luxosedan", this Jag screams "elegance" in a way not many cars can.
I had fun shooting this, as it was my first vintage Jag other than a Mark II or E Type that I've come in contact with; I think I am falling in love with these, and this example is precisely the reason why.