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In the ‘60s the ‘S’-type was the car to be seen in, the ultimate symbol of success, particularly for celebrities who had come up from working class backgrounds. Other British celebs who drove ‘S’-types were supermodel Patty Boyd and Led Zeppelin.
Engelbert Humperdinck (who was called a ‘Tom Jones wannabe’ at the time) also bought an ‘S’-type, but I haven’t found a photo of it. He and Tom Jones, later when richer, both replaced their ‘S’-types with Rolls Royce Siler Cloud IIIs. Pattie Boyd with her S-type Jaguar LED ZEPPELIN Jaguar 'S'-type London Dec 1968. Jones and Humperdinck with their Rolls.
The link has some interesting info and photos. It seems most were 3.4s (for those of us that like that version of the engine). Some city cars had a lower axle ratio and most had an alternator. I'd guess the larger boot was a great advantage over the Mk2 for a lot of traffic work.
Forty years ago, the motorway police in the area where I lived switched from Jaguar XJ6 to Range Rover patrol cars. The inspector in charge explained that they didn't need to chase any more; they could arrange an intercept at a following junction. The height of the Range Rover made it less likely to be run over by a truck. And the low ratios and AWD made it possible to (not quite within the rules) pull broken down heavy vehicles away from dangerous or obstructive positions.
The link has some interesting info and photos. It seems most were 3.4s (for those of us that like that version of the engine). Some city cars had a lower axle ratio and most had an alternator. I'd guess the larger boot was a great advantage over the Mk2 for a lot of traffic work.
Forty years ago, the motorway police in the area where I lived switched from Jaguar XJ6 to Range Rover patrol cars. The inspector in charge explained that they didn't need to chase any more; they could arrange an intercept at a following junction. The height of the Range Rover made it less likely to be run over by a truck. And the low ratios and AWD made it possible to (not quite within the rules) pull broken down heavy vehicles away from dangerous or obstructive positions.
All correct except the main reason for the Range Rover was carrying capacity. With more and more equipment to carry to comply with health and safety when at an accident we had to have more carrying weight capacity. This was even more required when I was on the ARV (Armed response vehicles) and we had to carry all our firearms, body armour and traffic gear. We had so much weight in the car we were not allowed to carry prisoners and had to call for a local unit to back us up for transport.
As for towing this was a no no but once on a very snowy day 20 years ago on Dartmoor I was in a double crewed ARV Range Rover when we came across a guy in a snow filled ditch trying to get his mother to the railway station to catch a train. He asked if we could pull him from the ditch as he had a tow rope so we agreed as long as the guy attached the rope to his own car and we would loop it over our tow ball. The guy dug a hole in the snow and attached the rope to the front of the car, we took up the tension and then went for it only succeeding to pull the radiator, front grill and bumper off the guys car. He had attached the rope to the lower radiator hose.
We were so sorry even though it was not our fault that we had to give his mother a lift to the railway station whilst he called for a proper recovery truck to get him out and to a garage.
Last edited by Cass3958; Aug 21, 2022 at 05:26 AM.
The inspector who told me the story said that towing was a definite no. But, there was a very nasty flyover in his area and a container truck had broken down in a position very likely to cause something awful so he took an initiative not expecting the Rangie to be pull the wagon and load uphill. To his surprise, it worked. I think we heard these things only because the local Jaguar area had good relations with the local motorway and traffic police, in part through inviting them to give talks and participate in events. They had some interesting opinions on cars and motorcycles.
Metropolitan Police London. One Fog light & night claxon behind small US type grill. Black woodwork & other mods. Not tuned for extra power.
Going down the old thread bunny hole today ~ Glyn, US model S-Types had a smaller grill? I can't seem to see a difference in other photos.
Why did they do that?
I have heard of Tom Jones, the singer, though my tastes in music in that generation (and all generations) run more to Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Joan Baez, ... and I went to school with Robert Plant.
Last edited by Peter3442; Jul 24, 2023 at 12:31 PM.
Celebrity 'S'-types
