Jaguar (car)
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| Jaguar
<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; padding:16px 0 16px 0;"> | |
| Type | Subsdiary of Ford |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 |
| Headquarters | Browns Lane, Allesley, Coventry, Image:Flag of England (bordered).svg England
<tr><th style="text-align:right; padding-right:0.75em;">Key people</th><td>Geoff Polites (CEO) |
Jaguar Cars Limited is a British luxury car manufacturer, with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England. It was founded as SS Cars Ltd in 1922 and changed its name to Jaguar in 1945. The company has been owned by Ford since 1990. Jaguar also has an engineering division in Whitley, Coventry.
Jaguar's main competitors include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus, Cadillac, and Infiniti.
The name is pronounced /ˈdʒægjuːə/ in the UK, //ˈdʒægˌwɑɹ// in the USA.
Contents |
[edit] History
Founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, the Jaguar name first appeared on a 2.5 Litre saloon in 1935. This name was given to the entire company when SS Cars Ltd was renamed Jaguar Cars Ltd after World War II because of the unfavourable connotations of the initials "SS" (from their use by the Schutzstaffel in Nazi Germany).
Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation (BMC), the Austin-Morris combine, to form British Motor Holdings (BMH) in 1966. After merger with Leyland and Rover, the resultant company then became British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) in 1968. Financial difficulties and the publication of the Ryder Report led to effective nationalisation in 1975 and the company became British Leyland Ltd (BL).
In 1984, Jaguar was floated off as a separate company on the stock market - one of the Thatcher government's many privatisations. It took the Vanden Plas name with it. It was then taken over by Ford in 1989-1990. In 1999 it was made part of Ford's new Premier Automotive Group along with Aston Martin and Volvo Cars. Land Rover was added to the group in 2001 following its purchase from BMW. Recent reports speculate that Ford might sell off Jaguar in order to infuse much needed capital into its own operations. [1]. Since Ford purchased Jaguar in 1989 it has yet to earn a profit for the Dearborn-based automaker.
The company was originally located in Blackpool but moved to Coventry in 1928 to be at the heart of the British motor industry. Today, Jaguars are assembled at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham and Halewood in Liverpool. The historic Browns Lane plant closed as a vehicle assembly plant in 2005 leaving the XJ, XK and S-Type production at Castle Bromwich and the X-Type at Halewood.
Jaguar also owns the Daimler car company (not to be confused with Daimler-Benz), which it bought in 1960 from Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). Since the late 1960s, Daimler has been a brand name for Jaguar's most luxurious saloons.
Since Land Rover's 2002 purchase by Ford, it has been closely associated with Jaguar. In many countries they share a common sales and distribution network (including shared dealerships), and some models now share components and production facilities.
Jaguar Cars are 'by appointment' to HM The Queen and Prince Charles.
[edit] Historical Models
Image:1963 Jaguar XK-E Roadster.jpg Image:Jaguar 340.jpg
The Jaguar company started production with the pre-war 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 Litre models which used engines designed by the Standard Motor Company. The 1.5 Litre four-cylinder engine was still supplied by Standard but the two larger six-cylinder ones were made in house. These cars have become known unofficially as the Mark IV's.
The first post war model was the 1948 Mark V available with either 2.5 or 3.5 Litre engines and had a more streamlined appearance than the pre-war models, but more important was the change to independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes.
The big breakthrough was the launch in 1948 of the XK120 sports car with the new XK twin-overhead-camshaft, 3.5 litre, six-cylinder engine designed by William Heynes and Claude Bailey. This car had originally been intended as a short production model of about 200 vehicles as a test bed for the new engine until its intended home, the new Mark VII saloon was ready. The XK120's reception was such that production continued until 1954 and it was followed by the XK140, XK150 and E-Type models, keeping Jaguar in the sports car market.
Introducing the large Mark VII Saloon in 1951, a car especially conceived for the American Market, Jaguar soon found itself overwhelmed with orders. The Mark VII and its successors gathered rave reviews from magazines such as Road & Track and Motor. In 1956 a Jaguar Mark VII won the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally.
The 1955 Mark 1 small saloon was the first monocoque (unibody) car from Jaguar and used a 2.4 Litre short stroke version of the XK engine. In 1959, the car was improved with a larger engine and wider windows and became the Mark 2, one of the most recognizable Jaguar models ever produced.
The Mark VIII of 1956 and Mark IX of 1958 were essentially updates of the Mark VII but the Mark X of 1961 was a completely new design of large saloon with all round independent suspension and unibody construction.
The independent rear suspension from the Mark X was incorporated in the 1963 S-Type which closely resembled the Mark 2, and in 1967 the Mark 2 name was dropped when the small saloon became the 240/340 range. The 420 of 1966, also sold as the Daimler Sovereign, put a new front onto the S-type, although both cars continued in parallel until the S-Type was dropped in 1968. The Mark X became the 420G in 1966.
Of the more recent saloons, the most significant is the XJ (1968-present), still the definitive Jaguar saloon car for many. Since 1968 the Series I XJ has seen major changes in 1973 (to Series II), 1979 (Series III), 1986 [Europe] / 1987 [United States] (XJ40), 1995 (X300), 1997 (to the V-8 powered X308), 2003 (the present model, X350). The most luxurious XJ models carry either the Vanden Plas or Daimler nameplates.
[edit] Notable models
Sports cars:
- XK120 (1948-1954)
- XK140 (1954-1957)
- XK150 (1957-1960)
- Jaguar E-type (XKE) (1961-1975)
- XJ-S/XJS (1975-1996)
- XK8 (1996-2005)
- XK (X150) (2006 to present)
Large Saloons
- 2.5 Litre (1935-1948)
- 3.5 Litre (1937-1948)
- Mark IV (1945-1948)
- Mark V (1949-1951)
- Mark VII(M) (1950-1957)
- Mark VIII (1957-1959)
- Mark IX (1958-1961)
- Mark X/420G (1961-1970)
- XJ6 (1968-1997)
- XJ12 (1972-1997)
- XJ8 (1998 to present)
Small Saloons
- 1.5 Litre (1935-1949)
- Mark 1 (1955-1959)
- Mark 2 (1959-1966)
- S-type (1963-1968)
- 240/340 (1967-1969)
- 420 (1966-1970)
- S-type (1999 to present)
- XF (2007)
[edit] Engines
Jaguar has designed in-house four generations of engines.
- Historical engines:
- Current engines:
[edit] Current Models
The current Jaguar line-up includes the following models:
- X-Type - near-luxury mid-size sedan and wagon
- S-Type - luxury sport sedan
- XJ-Series - full-size luxury sedan
- XK-Series - sports car/convertible
| 2007 US Jaguar Model Line-up | ||
| Model | Type | Price Range |
|---|---|---|
| XJ | Luxury Sedan | $64,250 - $116,000 |
| S-Type | Luxury Sport Sedan | $46,500 - $66,500 |
| X-Type | Luxury Sedan & Wagon | $33,500 - $37,500 |
| XK | Coupe/Convertible | $75,500 - $93,000 |
[edit] Concept Models
- R-D6 - Compact four-seat coupe
- XK-RR - A high-performance version of last generation XK coupe.
- XK-RS - Another performace-spec version of last generation XK convertible.
- Concept Eight - Super-lux version of the long-wheelbase model of the XJ.
- R-Coupé - Luxury four-seater coupe, closest competitor being the Bentley Continental GT.
[edit] Sports car racing
The company has had major success in sports car racing, particularly in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Victories came in 1951 and 1953 with the C-Type, then in 1955, 1956 and 1957 with the D-Type. The famous race was then left for many years, until in the mid-1980s Tom Walkinshaw's TWR team started designing and preparing Jaguar V12-engined sports prototypes for European sports car races. The team started winning regularly from 1987, and with increased factory backing the team won Le Mans in 1988 and 1990. Jaguar Sport:
- Jaguar C-Type (1951-1953)
- Jaguar D-Type (1954-1957)
- Jaguar Lightweight E-Type
- XJ220 (1988)
- XJR-15 (1990)
[edit] Jaguars in fiction and the media
- The Jaguar Mark 2 saloon gained a reputation as a getaway car among the British criminal fraternity in the 1960s. As a result, Mark 2s have featured in many British crime films, including Robbery, Get Carter and Mona Lisa. However, the best known fictional Mark 2 is probably the car driven by Inspector Morse in the British television series of the same name.
- The character, Arthur Daley, in the British television series Minder was generally to be seen driving a Jaguar XJ6, as was Robert McCall (Edward Woodward) in the 1985-89 CBS TV series The Equalizer. The latter was a black 1985 XJ6 with the licence plate "5809-AUG".
- British Prime-Minister Tony Blair is driven in a bottle-green Jaguar XJ8. His predecessor, John Major, used a modified XJ6. Blair's Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott gained the nickname "Two Jags" for his use of two Jaguars, one of his own and one supplied by the Government, when he was supposed to be promoting the use of public transport.
- Jaguar E-types are featured in the films The Italian Job, Robbery, The Odessa File, Brannigan, Silver Streak, 52 Pick-Up, Car Trouble and About Adam. An E-Type also replaced Emma Peel's usual Lotus Elan for the 1998 film of The Avengers. Harold, of Harold and Maude, had a Jaguar E-Type hearse.
- In the 1968 movie Danger: Diabolik, Diabolik drove a black Jaguar E-Type. His love interest, Eva, drove a white one.
- In the 1997 film LA Confidential Pierce Morehouse Patchett (David Strathairn) is shown to have a Jaguar XK120.
- Austin Powers drove a Union Jack-decorated Jaguar E-Type, calling it a Shaguar in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
- In Austin Powers in Goldmember, a Jaguar XK convertible painted in the same Union Jack style as the Jaguar E-type from the 1st movie. The car was driven by Tom Cruise spoofing Austin Powers.
- Mike Gambit in The New Avengers and Simon Templar in Return of the Saint, both had a Jaguar XJ-S as their usual transport.
- The made-for-cable 1989 film The Heist (shown on HBO) featured two dark green Jaguar XJS coupes - they were used during a bait and switch scene where contraband was hidden in the trunk panel.
- Sting was ferried in a Jaguar S-Type in the music video for his song Desert Rose, because of this, the song has been used in past Jaguar commercials. While Jaguar does not use the song anymore, the song is still associated with Jaguar.
- The Jet Li movie Danny the Dog/Unleashed featured a Series 3 XJ.
- The nickname for a Jaguar - "Jag" - is mentioned in many songs, such as Snoop Dogg's Riders On The Storm, Usher's Yeah and Lil' Flip's Rollin On 20's.
- 1950s Jaguar XK120s were used in the films The Green Man and Too Many Crooks, while XK150s were featured prominently in Play Misty for Me, To the Devil...a Daughter and Blue Ice.
- The 2002 film Die Another Day of the James Bond series of movies featured a Jaguar XKR. The car was driven by the character Zao in some scenes of the movie, including a chase/battle against Bond's Aston Martin.
- In the movie Love Actually, The Prime Minister of the UK (Hugh Grant) is driven around in a silver Jaguar XJ.
- Angelina Jolie stole a silver Jaguar XJ220 nicknamed "Bernadene" in the movie Gone in 60 Seconds. There was also an obscure XJ stolen by another character.
- A maroon Jaguar XJ6, and a silver Jaguar XK8 convertible were driven in the movie, The 51st State, also known as Formula 51.
- Halle Berry drove a red Jaguar XK8 convertible in the movie Swordfish.
- Ryan Phillippe can be seen driving a black Jaguar XK 140 Roadster in the movie Cruel Intentions. It is also at stake in a wager between his and Sarah Michelle Gellar's character.
- In the song "Call Me Lightning" by The Who, there is the line "my XKE is shining so brightly." In their song "Jaguar," there is the line "Every lovely spot near or far,/ You can reach them too in your car,/ Or you might be there now if you own a jag already."
- On the British motoring show Top Gear, in the "Cheap Coupes that aren't Porsches" challenge, James May bought a "1000 year old antique" Jaguar XJS (for £1500 - approx $2500) which broke down all the time, probably due to going round the track at 140mph in the first test. Due to very good results in the first two challenges and a fixed engine in the endurance race, May won on points, but conceded the win to Clarkson, who would have won the challenge if he hadn't "ruined" his car.
- Most Recently, many Jaguar XJs were featured in the James Bond film, Casino Royale. They were driven by the villians, but James Bond was chauffeured in a Mk IV.
- Sacha Baron Cohen was escorted in an X308 Vanden Plas in the movie "Ali G"
- The eponymous characters of the 1987 British film Withnail and I drive from London to the countryside, and back, in a worn out, s-type, Jaguar.
[edit] See also
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Jaguar Racing
- Cara Jones, the Voice of the Jaguar Car Navigation System
[edit] External links
[edit] Image Gallery
1937 Jaguar SS 100 |
1963 Jaguar 3.4 Mk2 |
1966 Jaguar E-Type (aka XKE) |
1991 Jaguar XJR-15 |
1995 Jaguar XJ6 (Sovereign) |
Jaguar XK8 |
| Members of the Ford Motor Company |
| Aston Martin | Daimler | Edsel | Ford | Jaguar | Land Rover | Lincoln | Mazda | Mercury | Merkur | Volvo |
| A subsidiary of Ford (since 1989) | Jaguar Cars road and race car timeline, 1945-present - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Sports | XK120 | XK140 | XK150 | E-type S1 | E S2 | E-type S3 | XJ-S | XJ-S HE | XJS | XK8, XKR | XK,XKR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saloon | Mark 1 | Mark 2, 240, 340 | X-Type | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| S-Type | XJ-C | S-Type, S-Type R | XF | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 420 | XJ6 Ser I | XJ6 Ser II | XJ6 Ser III | XJ6 (XJ40) | XJ6 | XJ8, XJR | XJ8, XJR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mk IV | Mk V | Mk VII | Mk VIII | Mk IX | Mk X | 420G | XJ12 | XJ12 S II | XJ12 Ser III | XJ12 | XJ12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supercar | XKSS | 15 | XJ220 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Racing | C-Type | D-Type | E-Type | XJ13 | XJ-C | XJR-5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/14 | C | R1/2/3/4/5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corporate Ownership | Independent | BMH | British Leyland | Independent | Ford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The rise and fall of British Leyland - the car companies and the brands - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marque | 1900s | 1910s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2006 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jaguar | SS Cars | Jaguar | Jaguar | BMH | British Leyland | Jaguar | Ford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Daimler | Daimler | BSA | BSA | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lanchester | Lanchester | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mini | BMC | Austin | BAe | BMW | BMW/MINI | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Riley | Riley | Nuffield Organisation | BMW | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MG | Morris Garages (MG) | BMW | MGR | Nanjing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morris | Morris | Morris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wolseley | Wolseley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin | Austin | Austin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanden Plas | Vanden Plas | Ford | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rover | Rover | Rover | Rover | BMW/MGR | Ford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Land Rover | Ford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alvis | Alvis | BAE Systems | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Standard | Standard | Standard Triumph | Leyland | BMW/Triumph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Triumph | Dawson | Triumph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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