Jaguar, history – Auto Story

Sportiness and elegance: these are the strengths of automobiles for over 90 years. jaguar... This brand (which, among other things, boasts record success in 24 Hours of Le Mans among British manufacturers) has survived all the crises of the British automotive industry and is still one of the few capable of withstanding German "premium" brands. Let's find out its history together.

Jaguar, history

History jaguar officially begins in September 1922 when William Lions (motorcycle enthusiast) e William Walmsley (builder motorcycle stroller) gathered and found Swallow Stroller Company... This company, originally specialized in the production of two-wheeled vehicles, achieved great success in the second half of the 20s with the creation of body shops for Austin Seventargeted at customers who like to stand out but don't want to overspend.

The first cars

Lyons, tired of working with cars from other manufacturers, designs two cars for the first time and presents them at the 1931 London Motor Show: discoveries SS 1 e SS 2 they look premium but are relatively affordable. Walmsley left the company three years later.

Name change

In 1935 the name jaguar it is first used on the named sedan 2.5 SS Jaguar and two years later, the British brand has its first sporting success, when the British Jack Harrop conquers RAC Rally (the victory was repeated in 1938) driving one SS100.

During World War II, production focused on sidecar bikes for His Majesty's army, and at the end of the conflict, management decides to sell the motorcycle division and, above all, remove the name. SSalso similar to what was used by the Nazi paramilitaries.

The XK120

The first revolutionary signed machine jaguar is XK120 1948: opening since engine 3.4 in-line six-cylinder engine that allows this sports accelerate to 120 mph (193 km / h: fastest production car on the market).

This car conquered numerous customers and won several races in Europe: in 1951, the year when the closed version debuted. FHC - Ian Appleyard wins the RAC rally and C-Type (racing car with tubular frame which has the same mechanics as the XK120) allows the brand to achieve its first success on 24 Hours of Le Mans with a "British" duet consisting of Peter Walker e Peter Whitehead.

These two successes jaguar repeated in 1953: the legendary French endurance race, however, won by another British crew (Tony Rollt e Duncan Hamilton) and a more advanced vehicle equipped with an innovative disc brakes... In the same year, the third option XK120: Drophead coupe.

D-type

La D-Type – the first racing car with a monocoque design – a car that made motorsport history: with a spectacular rear fin, it won three consecutive editions 24 Hours of Le Mans with strictly British pilots. The first with a duet in the composition Mike Hawthorne e Ivor Bueb, second with Ron Flockhart e Ninian Sanderson and the third with Flockhart and Bueb. This latest triumph is also the last "purely British" (cars and racers from the United Kingdom) in the history of this important endurance race.

In the same period, we announce the victory Rally Monte Carlo November 1956, XNUMX Jaguar Mark VII led by the British Ronnie Adams and – with regard to serial production – the launch XK150, the first road car of the brand installed on i disc brakes brought to the racing debut of the C-Type.

60s and E-Type

In 1960, the British brand took over Daimler and moves to the plant in Coventry this company manufactures engines. The next year it was the turn of the debut - at the Geneva Motor Show - the most famous model of this brand: E Type... Considered by Enzo Ferrari the most beautiful car ever built, it has a top speed of 150 mph (241 km / h) and is also very technically advanced: four disc brakes, a base frame and an independent four-wheel suspension. His weak points? Gearbox, long braking distance and points not very enveloping.

In 1963 - the first major victory of one person. jaguar driving a foreign driver when a German Peter Nocker wins the first European Touring Car Championship with Mark II and three years later, a 2 + 2 E-Type version was released with an extended wheelbase to accommodate two passengers in the rear seats.

The British brand is healthy: it is one of the most loved in the UK and the most loved foreign brand in the United States. In 1966 it was merged with BMC Create British Motor Holdings and next year William Lions resigns from the role of CEO.

1968 is the year that another brand icon is introduced. jaguar -flagship XJ (which removes almost all outdated sedans from the British house from the market) - and in 1969 the historical designer William Haynes (got into SS 1934) retires.

70-ies

The first important event of the 70s happened in 1971, when engine 5.3 V12 introduced on the E-Type. The following year, the same engine - installed on XJ – allows the British flagship to become the fastest production four-seater on the market (almost 220 km / h). Also in 1972 (when Lyon officially retired) a long-wheelbase variant of the "British" Berlinona was released (to correct the main drawback of this car: reduced space for rear passengers), and three years later - XJ-S coupebuilt on the same basis as the "standard" XJ.

80-ies

1984 is an important year for jaguar... The English brand has been privatized and entered the stock market, and thanks to the British, two major sporting victories have been won. Tom Walkinshaw и XJS, winners of the European Touring Car Championship and - with a crew also consisting of German Hans Heyer and from english Vin Percy - from 24 hours in the spa... In February 1985, he disappeared. William Lions.

Between the second half of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s, the British manufacturer received many sporting achievements in the category stamina: in 1987, the first world championship in sports prototypes arrives (spiced with a triumph among the Brazilian pilots Raoul Bosel), success was repeated in 1988 (from English. Martin Brandl world champion among drivers) also thanks to the victory 24 Hours of Le Mans brought home Dutchman Jan Lammers and british Johnny Dumfries e Andy Wallace... In the same year Bosel, Brandl, Lammers and the Dane John Nielsen they win 24 hours Daytones.

Going to Ford

In 1989 jaguar acquired Ford but the sporting commitment does not stop: in 1990 XJR-12 victories 24 Hours of Le Mans with Brandl, Nielsen and the American Price Cobb and the same car - this time driven by Lammers, Wallace and a Yankee Sea Devil – wins 24 hours of Daytona. The last significant sporting success of the British manufacturer dates back to 1991: victory in the World Sports Prototypes and the world title for our Theo Fabi.

Serial production of the last decade of the twentieth century sees supercar XJ220 since 1992 (engine 3.5 V6 twin turbo with 542 hp and a top speed of 335 km / h), sexy sports car XK8 and flagship S-Type, younger sister XJ Retro style.

Third millennium

In 2000 jaguar enter F1: Remains at the Circus until 2004, but receives only two podiums with the British driver. Eddie Irwin... Better for road cars: X-Type saloon 2001 - built on the same floor with Ford Mondeo is the first car of the British brand A four-wheel drive and two years later (on the occasion of the launch of the station wagon e diesel) also becomes the first front-wheel drive.

This model shows good results in sales, but influences the brand crest: the rebirth comes in 2007. XF, the heir to the S-Type, characterized by a modern and revolutionary style, revived thanks to XJ X351 2009 In the middle (in 2008) the purchase of the brand by the Indians Tata.

As for the latest signed models jaguar it is impossible not to mention sporty F-Type 2013 and Berlin 2015, with a platform in aluminum e, the difference is dell'antenata X-Type, a rear drive.