Jaguar cars have a long history of elegant styling and sporting performance. The brand was born in the United Kingdom, and for years its vehicles were synonymous with the old-world luxury of the British upper classes. More recently, Jaguar has been under the ownership of other automakers, but Jaguar cars will always bear the unmistakable gleam of traditional English refinement. The company traces its roots to the Swallow Sidecar Company, founded in 1922 by Bill Lyons and William Walmsley. Based in Blackpool, England, the company produced a popular line of aluminum motorcycle sidecars. Swallow eventually switched its focus to automobile production, changing its name to SS Cars Ltd. in 1933. The first vehicle to carry the Jaguar name was the SS Jaguar 100, released in 1935.In 1946, in addition to updating the older models, Lyons developed a new sports car, the XK 120, which was inspired by the BMW 328 model and fitted with a six-cylinder x 2 OHC engine with a capacity of 3442 cc. In 1948 at the Earls Court Motor Show, Jaguar introduced the fastest motorcar to date, the XK 120 Roadster with an alleged top speed of 120 mph, superb road holding and styling plus a smooth ride.In 1951 The XK 120 Fixed Head Coupe was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. This touring car was better trimmed with a veneer dashboard, and wind-up door windows. In 1953 the XK 120 Drophead Coupe was introduced with a fully-trimmed convertible hood. The XK 120 proved to be a super competition car. In 1954 the XK 140 included rack-and-pinion steering, larger bumpers, extra chrome, a cast grill, and 190 hp. The XK 140 also had room for very small children behind the seat. In 1957, the Jaguar XK 150 came in with a low roar because the XK design was looking slightly outdated. This excellent car, however, was produced until 1961. .Several other Jaguar variations were produced to fill a market gap between the 3.8S and the large MK X Jaguar. In 1960 Daimler was bought by Jaguar. In 1966 Sir William Lyons stepped down as Managing Director of the Jaguar Group, but he remained Chairman and Chief Executive. Grice and England became joint managing directors. On July 11, 1966, Jaguar Cars Ltd. and the British Motor Corporation Ltd. announced they would merge. Also by the mid-60s, hind-sight could see that Jaguar was beginning to make too many models. A decade later, Jaguar introduced the XJ6C and XJ12C coupes, as well as the XJ-S. A new V12 was put in the XJ12, making it the fastest production sedan of its day. The 1980s saw Jaguar continuing to raise the bar in performance with the launch of the XJ-S HE and a true world supercar, the XJ220. By this time, however, Jaguar also faced increased competition from German automakers and adverse exchange rates. The company's managers decided to recognize the potential value of a partnership with another company. This decision ultimately led to a full buyout of Jaguar by Ford in 1990.
Ford's influence (and financial support) was evident with the 1997 launch of Jaguar's XK8 and supercharged XKR sports cars. Powering both was Jaguar's new AJ-V8, a compact yet powerful engine that was also used in certain Land Rover vehicles. A few years later, Jaguar made an effort to broaden its product line with the introduction of a lower-priced, entry-luxury vehicle known as the X-Type. Unfortunately, this model sold poorly, as its modest Ford sedan underpinnings proved to be a liability. Around this time, Jaguar's old-school traditional styling also grew stale as competitors moved into the new millennium with cutting-edge, modern designs inside and out.
Sales plummeted, and Jaguar's financial problems caused further headaches for parent company Ford who was also in the throws of financial turmoil. In order to cut its losses and raise cash, the Blue Oval sold Jaguar and fellow British premium brand Land Rover to Indian manufacturer Tata in 2008. Only time will tell if Indian management can turn things around, but new models like the XK and XF show positive signs of progress as they feature modern designs sprinkled with a fair share of classic Britannic charm.
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