International Jaguar History
The history of Jaguar really dates back to 1922 in Blackpool, England when two young motorcyclists by the names of William Lyons and William Walmsley decided to go into business together to produce sidecars. Walmsley was a World War I veteran, and his main interest lied in the construction of sidecars for motorcycles. Lyons, on the other hand, was pressured by his father to work for Crossley's Motors, Ltd. Crossley was a very popular automobile manufacturer during the early part of the 1920's. Lyons began to work at the factory toward the end of the First World War. Although Crossley had a lot of success in producing vehicles, Lyons was not exactly content working for the company and left not too soon afterwards and began to work for Brown and Mallalieu, another automobile manufacturer, as a salesman. When Lyons finally met Walmsley, he was looking for a change. He interested Walmsley into starting a sidecar production business, and although Walmsley was not a big fan of this at first, he finally gave in. Not too long after, the Swallow Sidecar Company was established. The company showed great expansion during the 1920's in Blackpool, and eventually both men relocated to Coventry to engage in further expansion with a new company. Swallow, now named the Swallow Sidecar and Coach Building Company over in Coventry began to output coachwork for chassis thanks to Fiat, Austin, and Alvis. The first car called the SSI had a six cylinder engine, along with a modified Standard chassis. In 1931, the public got its first view of this vehicle at a London Exhibition. The SSI had a long, low appearance, short passenger compartment, along with wire wheels. By 1933 the name of the company changed over to SS Cars Ltd. Lyons eventually bought his partner out of the business.
In 1934, Harry Weslake, a highly regarded engineering genius joined the company. The name Jaguar itself was introduced for the first time in 1935. Limos, sports cars, and convertible style cars were the main vehicles in production from the company. In fact, one of the fastest cars at the time came out right before the Second World War. It was called the SS 100. Having the ability to reach speeds up to 100mph, this car could go from a resting state to 60mph in only about 10 seconds. After World War II the company changed its name to Jaguar Cars Ltd. In 1946, Lyons designed a new kind of sports car called the XK 120. This six cylinder x 2 OHC engine car had a capacity of 3422cc. In 1951 the XK 120 Fixed Head Coupe was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show. This showy car had a gorgeous dashboard along with windows that would wind up. In 1953 we saw the XK 120 DropHead Coupe come into the picture. This vehicle was equipped with a full trimmed hood that was convertible. By the mid 1950's Jaguar was pretty much into producing luxury and sport vehicles. However, this posed a problem since demand for such cars could drop at anytime, so Jaguar produced the MK I in 1955. This vehicle was more appealing to their home market. Not too long after, the MK II came out with more refined upgrades. The 1960's brought even more change to Jaguar. Lyons decided it was time to step down as Managing Director but still remained Chief Executive. In 1966 Jaguar Cars Ltd and British Motor Corporation Ltd decided to merge. Lyons finally retired in 1972. The company underwent a lot of stress during this time and worker morale dropped to an all time low by the early 80's and a strike ensued. John Eagen stepped in finally to give the company the boost it needed during these desperate times. He breathed new life into the company, and by the mid 1980's the company regained its lost morale and began producing luxury vehicles once again. Jaguar has seemed to regain its balance with these changes and is once again beginning to be seen as one of the world's best luxury car manufacturers. Jaguar History brought to you by International Jaguar Orland Park located in Tinley Park serving the greater Chicago area.
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