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Jaguar

When the words elegance and styling are mentioned in regard to an automobile, the name Jaguar instantly comes to mind. Born in the United Kingdom, Jaguar vehicles were associated as the vehicles of luxury for many of Britains finest citizens. Even though Jaguar has undergone ownership changes, the brand will always be a standard bearer and a symbol of refinement and traditional English class.

From its humble beginnings in 1922 as the Swallow Sidecar Company producing a well received line of motorcycle sidecars, founders William Walmsley and Bill Lyons eventually began automobile production and changed it's name to SS Cars Ltd. in 1933. The transition was official when in 1935, the company launched the first vehicle to bear the Jaguar name and it was dubbed the SS Jaguar 100.

At the end of The Second World War, the company changed its name to Jaguar so it would not be associated with the infamous SS troops of the German army. The first post war model that was introduced by the company was the 1948 Mark V. This luxury sedan was soon followed by a sports car dubbed the XK 120. At that time, the XK 120 was the fastest production automobile that boasted a top speed, yes, you guessed it, of 120 miles per hour. The model was well received and helped the company establish a remarkably strong presence in the sports car market. It wasn't until the beginning of the 1950's that Jaguar started to export it's luxury vehicles to the States. The first model to be introduced in 1951 was the Mark VII Saloon. After taking first place in class at the 1956 Rally of Monte Carlo, the company soon followed with the Mark VIII and Mark IX to give customers even more choices.

During the 1960's Jaguar launched one of its most well know models. You guessed it, it was the E-type coupe, the XK-E to be more precise. What set it apart was its sexy styling coupled with superior performance and refined luxury. Granted, it didn't hurt that during this time the British pop invasion was also well underway stateside with the Beatles, Stones and even Twiggy. British pop culture was hot, which also proved to helped boost Jaguar's image in America.

Ten years later, not resting on its past successes, Jaguar introduced three more XJ Models. The XJ6C, the XJ-S and the XJ12C that boasted a V12 engine that set it apart as the fasted production sedan. As the 80's rolled around, Jaguar continued to innovate with the launch of XJ-S HE and a model that was dubbed a “super car”, the XJ220. Faced with mounting competition during this time from the many German automakers like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and a unfavorable monetary exchange rate, a decision was made by the company to seek out new partnerships to ensure it's continued survival. This decision eventually saw Jaguar purchased by the Ford Motor Company in early 1990.

With the infusion of new capital from Ford, Jaguar, in 1997, proceeded to launch the XK8 and its first supercharged sports car, the XKR. Both models boasted Jaguars new power plant the AJ-V8, a groundbreaking engine that was both compact yet incredibly powerful. This same engine was also used in certain Models of the famous Land Rover line. What followed in a few years, was the Jaguars attempt to penetrate the entry level luxury market with it's X-Type model. Needless to say, the model sold poorly. People realized that it was more Ford than it was Jaguar and as a result, sales suffered. The company also started to face increased competition by models that were considered more modern and up to date. By this time, Jaguars old school styling started to grow stale in the marketplace.

As Jaguar sales continued on a downward slide, coupled with Fords own financial troubles, most knew it was only a matter of time before Ford had no choice but to cut its losses. In 2008, Ford sold both Jaguar and Land Rover to the Indian manufacturer Tata. As of this writing, it's still unsure if Tata can restore some of the glory of the Jaguar name. But with the recent introductions of new models such as the XK and XF, it's evident that the company is committed to new modern designs while still maintaining a hint of that old world Jaguar mystique.