History of Jaguar

It all started in 1922 when William Lyons started the Swallow Sidecar Company which originally made motorcycle sidecars. He built his first car a few years later, the SS1, and in 1935 built the SS Jaguar, the first car of the line for which the company became famous for. Here is a quick history of some of the most notable Jaguar models over the years.

(SS Jaguar, Image from www.jaguarusa.com)

In 1937, they created the SS Jaguar 2½ Liter Sedan which was the first car to have four doors.

(Jaguar XK120 By Sfoskett – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=120198)

The XK120 was released in 1948 and became the world’s fastest production car, reaching speeds of 133 mph.

(Jaguar C-Type)

In 1951, the C-Type came out. This model weighed 25% less and its design was inspired by aerodynamics. The C-Type was a successful racing car, winning the Le Mans 24 hours race twice, in 1951 and in 1953.

(Jaguar D-Type, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=120299)

The D-Type was introduced in 1954 and featured a unique stable wing designed by Malcolm Sayers. This model also won at Le Mans several times, including in 1957 when it won 5 of the top 6 places.

(Jaguar E-Type, By DeFacto – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52811194)

Jaguar launched their iconic E-Type in 1961 at the Geneva Motor Show. The car was referred to as “the most beautiful care ever made” by Enzo Ferrari and was on the list of Sports Car International magazine’s list of the “Top Sports Cars of the 1960s.”

Regarded as the definitive Jaguar saloon, the iconic XJ series was made from 1968 to 1992. The original model was the last Jaguar car to have the input of founder William Lyons. The XJ220 was the fastest production car in 1992.

(2017 Jaguar F-Type By Vauxford – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68386116)

Today, Jaguar makes several varieties of cars including: XJ, XF, XE, F-Type, E-Pace, F-Pace and I-Pace.

Did you know?

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