Jaguar is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its rather special Mk2 sports sedan this year, a car that not only raised the performance bar for four-door sports cars but also proved itself on the race track with numerous class wins in its day at the hands of driving legends such as Roy Salvadori and Graham Hill.
Aside from its undeniable performance credentials the MK 2 was also beautifully styled,and to pay homage to its timeless lines, Jaguar commissioned fashion and style photographer Rankin to capture this icon from behind the lens.
The Mk 2 forms part of a series of images called ‘Rooms by Rankin’ which celebrates the character of three key models, including the modern XE and XF.
The third and final instalment of the series features the Mk2 in what Rankin calls a ‘Period Drama’. He explains, “The Jaguar Mk 2 is a very special car—undeniably beautiful and well-proportioned. I wanted to create something that celebrated the Mk2’s form and its heritage, but also had a thoroughly modern edge to it. That’s why I chose to use polka dots.”
The Mk2 featured in these images is a Dark Blue 3.8-liter manual straight from the Jaguar Classic Collection. Its XK-derived straight-six engine produced 220hp, which gave it a top speed of 125mph—impressive figures in the 1960s.
It inspired a generation of fast four-door Jags which continue to this day in the shape of the XE and XF models. These two cars have also received the Rankin treatment. The XF picture is called ‘Flying High’ and involved the creation of hundreds of origami birds suspended above the car. The XE picture is called ‘Moving in the Mist’ and was created using silk sheets to reference the car’s free-flowing form.
Images courtesy of Jaguar and Rankin Photography
