07/10/2026
Can History Teach the Big Cat a Lesson?
A Specialist's Take on the Jaguar Type 01 vs
The Mark X
Spending every day surrounded by classic British engineering at Lanes Cars gives you a clear perspective on how Coventry's history repeats itself.
With the New York unveiling imminent for the Jaguar Type 01, the motoring world is deeply divided.
Look past the sci-fi lines and the controversial lack of a rear window, and you'll see a familiar playbook: Jaguar is taking another crack at conquering North America, and they are finally fixing the fatal flaws of the 1961 Mark X.
The Ghost of the 1961 Mark X
When launched in 1961, the Mark X's primary target was the American luxury market. Jaguar made the car cavernous by European standards, the widest British saloon on the market. Yet across the Atlantic, it fell flat:
• Scale Mismatch: What looked massive on a narrow Warwickshire lane was still dwarfed by sprawling Cadillacs on American interstates.
• Power Deficit: Americans wanted effortless V8 grunt. The XK straight-six was a brilliant engine, but hauling a heavy saloon against big-block competitors left it feeling underpowered. Sales slumped, and by the late '60s it had faded from US showrooms.
Enter the Type 01: The Mark X Reimagined
Jaguar has clearly studied the archives:
• No Longer Underpowered: A tri-motor EV powertrain produces over 1,000PS (986bhp). That's Veyron-rivalling power.
• True US Proportions: At 5.2 metres long, this is explicitly not built for tight UK parking spaces or narrow country lanes. It is built for wide US boulevards.
• Aiming High: From an expected $130k, Jaguar is walking away from executive fleet battles to take on Bentley and Maybach.
Whether you love or loathe the radical styling, Jaguar is finally offering the American market what it denied it sixty years ago: unapologetic size and towering presence.
This is my personal view. Where do you stand on the Type 01? Is this the revival Jaguar needs? Let us know below!
