Jaguar history in a nutshell.

A brief article concerning the history of Jaguar.

Jaguar was founded in 1922 under the name of the Swallow Sidecar Company by Sir William Lyons. The company changed its name to Jaguar after the second World War due to the unfortunate connotations with the initials SS. The first vehicle produced under the Jaguar name was a 2.5 litre saloon.

Jaguar then built up its reputation through the production of stylish sports cars such as the XK and the E Type. During the 50s Jaguar enjoyed success in motorsport racing, with vehicles such as the C and D Type sports cars going on to win at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in 1951 and 1953.

The company then began to develop and produce saloon models for more casual use, the most popular models being the Jaguar Mark V and the Mark VII. Thanks to its stylish design and ability to seat up to six people, the Mark VII became a commercial success and was widely praised by critics.

During 1961 Jaguar released one of its most iconic vehicles, the E Type. This car took many of its features from the D Type and was popular due to its racing heritage and eye catching design. Jaguar introduced the S-Type Saloon onto the market during the same year. This vehicle featured independent rear suspension and extended rear body work to make room for luggage. Thanks to the S-Type’s popularity Jaguar released a manual version with a new all-synchromesh gearbox that replaced the basic unit that had been featured in all previous Jaguar models.

In 1999 Jaguar became part of Ford’s Premier Automotive Group which also featured Aston Martin and Volvo Cars. However, on 11th June 2007 Ford announced that they planned to sell off Jaguar. There were many interested parties including JCB and TPG Capital but despite high levels of interest it wasn’t until March 2008 that Indian auto manufacturers Tata Motors purchased the Jaguar brand.

During 2008 Jaguar released the critically acclaimed Jaguar XF, a mid-size executive vehicle that was intended to replace the S-Type in the company line up. The XF went on to win the What Car? ‘Car of the Year’ award. Recently, Jaguar released the new XJ Luxury which includes features such as a full colour HD touch screen with its own navigation system, a built-in hard drive, dual zone climate control and a media hub. The XJ functions as a range extended vehicle which means it functions like a super-car whilst remaining environmentally responsible.

Jaguar recently released the C-X75, a car that celebrates 75 years of Jaguar design. The C-X75 is a range extended electric vehicle that can reach 62 mph in 3.4 seconds without producing any emissions. The model features an aerodynamic design and is constructed using aluminium to create a lightweight body, both of which mean the car can easily reach amazing levels of speed.