Jaguar Mark 2

The story

On paper the Mark 2 was a respectable family sedan: slim chrome window frames, leather chairs and enough burl walnut to panel a study. Underneath sat the XK straight-6 that had already won at Le Mans, disc brakes at all 4 wheels when most rivals still relied on drums and, in the 3.8, 220 hp with 240 lb-ft of torque. Nobody had blended manners and muscle quite like that before, and buyers noticed, taking 83,701 of them in 8 years. Racers strung together 20 consecutive wins in the British Saloon Car Championship, police forces put the car on traffic patrol, and Britain's robbers wanted one for exactly the same reasons.

By modern standards it is a handful. Without power assistance the steering is heavy at parking speeds, the early Moss gearbox demands patience, and the live rear axle lets the tail wander when the road gets wet and bumpy. That is part of the appeal. A Mark 2 rewards smooth hands and punishes clumsy ones, and in doing so it wrote the brief that every fast executive sedan since, the BMW M5 included, has followed.