1954 – Jaguar D-Type

Autor Piotr Wilk31 lipca, 202327 września, 2023

Over two decades did the Brits have to wait for another triumph at Le Mans. They got their comeback with the appearance of the new Jaguar. Their first post-war sports car was designed by the old Bentley Boy – Walter Hassan. He led a successful campaign behind the wheel of the lightweight alloy body XK120 model. It was a promising car, yes – but if you want to start racing Le Mans, you better be real deal. That is why the XK120 got its competition variant.

The Jaguar C-Type was unveiled – or the XK120 C, if you will – running tests before ’51 Le Mans. It was a proper war machine. Powered by the same old, road-legal XK120 6-cylinder engine, but the car was built around a much lighter, far superior tubular frame. The powertrain was brutal, and with 3 Weber carburetors it could give 220 bhp. Ok, two examples never completed the race, but the final car not only raced full 24 hours, but it outclassed its rivals quite spectacularly. Ahhhh… good old times.

1952 Le Mans was raced on C-Type in test configuration – the Long Tail with improved drag coefficient. It did suffer from dramatic overheating, and retired in early phase of the race. That is why Jag had to rely on proven solutions. The new bodies were more conventional, but the cars were not left without any weapon. Each was equipped with disc brakes – and it was a real game-changer. The very reason there was no equal to a C-Type then. They came up on top, of course they did. Succeeded, while also completing works on a next racer to keep them in the lead.

Spring 1954 – the running examples are ready. There was a debate on how to call them: C-Type Mk II? D-Type? The latter stayed and by this name we know the first Jaguar car with a monocoque chassis, with subframes first welded in, but later they were connected using screws, so that they could be taken off and put back in at wish. They of course had the disc brakes system such as the C-Types. It was obvious – no discussion there.

XK120 engine required a set of mods to save space in front of the platform. Sump was shortened by half and Jaguar used dry sump in those cars. The motor was tilted 8 degrees – that’s why the hump on the hood was off-center. All in all, it was almost identical to C-Type – mechanically. The valves were increased. That’s actually why it needed most of that space under the hood. The engine architecture actually made it easier as – curious – it was the first Jaguar with the asymmetric 35/40 heads, where the intake valves are set at 35 degree angle, and the exhaust valves at 40 degrees.

Jaguar managed to save a lot of space – which allowed narrower front – which in turn allowed higher speeds at the Mulsanne straight. The significant fin behind the driver’s head – gave more stability at speed. Race examples for ’55 season were also equipped with elongated hoods, so they were reaching even higher top speeds. Jag strategy was: full attack at Le Mans – nothing else mattered. D-Types were best at being fast but quite useless at slower, twisty tracks. They had no downforce – a pronounced weakness.

Three cars entered ’54 edition of the race, and even though they had a good pace, they were no match for Gonzales/Trintignant in the – almost 5-litre – Ferrari. Another approach the year after and the Long Nose claimed third victory for the brand. After a ruthless race against the technologically superior SLRs – well… all Mercedes run away after one of their cars – in pieces – flew into the crowd on the stands. 200 victims – 80 people killed. Those Germans, right? Right? The race was continued…

At the point when Mercedes was to get back to the pits – Mike Hawthorn’s Jag was trying to close the gap to Moss and Fangio in the leading SLR two laps ahead. The Mercedes retired and Jaguar was left with no true rival. Ferraris stayed in play, but their cars were having some mechanical problems and – ones that managed not to crash – they could never keep the pace. In such circumstances did the British secure their third trophy. In the next two editions of the race, Jaguar D-Type will defend the title in team Ecurie Ecosse colors, as Jaguar closes their racing program in 1957 after their cars crash in the early stage.

The racing changes in 1958, when the new rules are introduced and the engine displacement gets limited to 3 litres. That meant the end for the D-Type. Jaguar did have some 3.0 for the XK, but that was no racer. Long story short: 20 Short Nose D-Types are sold to private buyers and actually raced – and actually: to success! Both in Europe as well as overseas. Some chassis were laying around in Jag garages, so they constructed road examples – the XKss in the number of 16 cars total (with some additional fairly recently), but they could build no more as their factory was taken by flames. In the end: they did achieve triple win at Le Mans with this model, and this model solidified their name on top of racing. In fact – with this achievement – it is one of the most successful race cars of all time, and both: racing D-Type or road XKss – are the most looked for Jaguar cars in existence. One was auctioned not too long ago – reached the price of 13.5M American presidents.

1951 – Jaguar C-Type

Autor Piotr Wilk24 lipca, 202327 września, 2023

The year 1950 was hugely successful for the Jaguar brand. XK120 model was storming the racetracks all over the world and – what’s important – it was very competitive. So much so, the mastermind behind Jaguar, Sir William Lyons, managed to see it to a beautiful sports campaign. Inspired by the winning machines, he had a dream of a Le Mans victory. 24h run was a huge deal already. The biggest auto sport celebration of the year. More than just sport, a capable fast racecar would inevitably boost sales. In fact, it would open a global market for their model range, and the US of A was a market not to be ignored. A Jaguar XK120 entered 1950 edition of the Le Mans race and it held on 4th for a magnificent part of the race. The Brits could not let this end just like that. They felt the need to support the car in its sports career.

A secret group of engineers formed an unofficial sports division within the Jag – dedicated to make sure the car decimates any possible rivals. William Heynes was appointed the head of this section, and their first vehicle: the XK120 C project. The name indicated the XK120 roots of the new model, and the ‚C’ secretly meant it was a proper competition variant. That moniker was largely abandoned and a new name was adopted: the C-Type. Its motor was a solid 3.4 Straight 6 DOHC from the XK120 – a great piece of engineering, but now with the new pistons, new cams, and a pair of new carburetors. 200 bhp it made – when XK120 was capable of 160 bhp before the changes.

Engine apart – the car was much more lightweight for racing. It had a bespoke tubular frame, with a subframe for the engine and front suspensions. Double wishbones – and a rear live axle. Each side was fitted with torsion bars, and each wheel was stopped by hydraulic drum brakes. It was a complex machine – hidden underneath an aluminum body inspired by the XK120’s sleek lines. The XK120 was much heavier though – over 350 kilos in fact – even though its body was also made of light aluminum.

The cars were finally ready for the race, but two entered examples had to retire early due to mechanical failure. Only one machine was left in the race – and he did it, the son-of-a-bitch did it! The Le Mans trophy – after over two decades – goes back to England. The C-Type was a bang – the closest rivals were 9 laps behind. Stirling Moss put his hands on the Touring Trophy later that year – and twice the Goodwood – all in Jag. He was victorious at Silverstone when in 1952 the International Trophy was raced.

The rules required production examples for homologation. Without it – it would be but a prototype. That was the plan anyway, as cars for sale always generate some income for the company. Engineers started preparing the model for the roads. The lack of good steel needed for its chassis, resulted in series of delays, but the clients could drive the first cars in spring of 1952. A bit more than 40 were made total, often sold to private racers. An F1 driver here and there. Giuseppe Farina had one, Juan Manuel Fangio bought it too – I don’t know how true that is – but story says, Farina got his car in order to reverse-engineer it in Ferrari’s workshop. It was such a threat to Italians, that once it was on the road, it became their direct rival for the upcoming season immediately.

Road version was largely unchanged compared to the sportscar. To the Le Mans ’51 exact models. Race program involved further changes in aerodynamics to counter German Mercedes machinations. Stirling Moss had a chance to test the new brake technology at Mille Miglia, but none of the Le Mans cars had such brakes in the race. As a result… drums were overheating very rapidly and all three finished early. The initial diagnosis was the new bodies were problematic, but they later learnt cooling cables were too thin for the job as well. Ah, one way or another – that race was no success. Disc brakes were far superior – Moss was best at Reims later that year – the first victor with a disc brakes car in history.

The 1952 edition of Le Mans was a failure, so the English had nothing to lose the year after. They prepared the C-Type Lightweight variants with triple Weber carburetors, 220 bhp, Dunlop disc brakes on all four wheels – AND 60 kilograms lighter than the previous cars. Not only they had more stopping power, but the brakes lasted for much longer. For longer time of braking much later, much harder. They must have learnt their lesson. Jags took the first spot, as long as the second and fourth positions. Duncan Hamilton / Tony Rolt car was the first vehicle in history to win that race with over 100 mph average speed. They did exactly 105.841 mph.

The Jaguar replaces their models with the year 1954, but the new car is still an XK120 derivative. The upcoming D-Type is just as competitive, but it was the C-Type that is to be remembered for reaching the motorsport’s top of the top. It placed their brand right next to the best racing automakers. C-Type came victorious as a works entrant or a private racer. And it made Jags more popular on public roads all over the world. It gave us new technologies – brakes we now see as standard on every car of today – first raced on the Jaguar sports cars.

1992 – Jaguar XJ220

Autor Piotr Wilk9 lipca, 202327 września, 2023

This story tells how you can be made with love, but also a mistake. Most iconic cars were made of passion and that is why they are remembered. Automobile manufacturing changed over time – as everything does. It was modernized, consumed by the new technological processes, procedures and board meetings. In such times: this car is born. Designed as unpaid overtime for the handful of craziest enthusiast Jaguar could provide. The Jaguar – they’ve just claimed the World Sportscar Championship, and their development section manager said he had an idea. The trend for supercars was on a rise. For ridiculous and expensive performance beasts. They would be impossible to buy… unless you were crazy rich and never afraid to invest large numbers in unique automobiles. Jag said it was so stupid, that they would do it… if only they haven’t been in the worse financial crisis than Poland under communists even now.

Randle didn’t give up. He managed to select a team of 12 volunteers to work on weekends – dubbed „The Saturday Club”. Designers, engineers and technicians – everyone that could be involved with benefit for the project. They lived double lives. Day time they made Jaguar cars – and they drew supercars after dark. They claimed no money for the effort. Randle himself made cardboard models of the car… and that’s how he spent his Christmas. Together, they could introduce their car to the world after 4 years – the Jag had a stand in Birmingham Motor Show.

The car – it was the bomb! Beautiful lines and breathtaking performance figures. 500 bhp from a 48-valve 6.2-litre V12. The mid-engine layout paired with all-wheel drive and damn… the gullwing doors. It was to have all wheel steering system, and it was to reach 220 miles per! They said it would have everything. You name something. Anything – it was supposed to have it! The Ferrari F40 was there – on the same motorshow – totally ignored. It looked like 20 year old piece of shit when placed next to the sleek cat. I mean, it doesn’t look old even now. The Jag was just amazing, so the Ford (the owner at the time) said they would make it… because… what could go wrong?

Heh… where do I start? The TWR took most of the responsibility for the development. They handled production and any changes it’s architecture would require. The initial project was planned for 350 bodies. It was a good plan, it provided constant money flow as each car would cost well over 400k. Ferrari didn’t ask half that money for their F40. Aaaand the problems started. TWR discovered engineering faults in the prototype. Both the V12 and the AWD – wouldn’t work. They both were heavy and both too complex to develop and adapt – and they were both too expensive as well. Not to mention. In the end, XJ200 was made a rear wheel drive Twin Turbo V6.

I understand the disappointment, but the V6 deserves our respect. It was not just any motor. They took it from the B-Group Metro 6R4. A 24-valve rally 3.5-litre V64V – constantly under development in TWR garages. It powered the Group C XJR-10 and XJR-11 racers. That’s how Jag joins the club for rally Group B-devised supercars, next to the Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40… So that engine was set up with the two Garrett T3 turbochargers, and at that point already it provided a full bar of turbo boost. TWR found space for two intercoolers for it and then – even though engine small, even though no V12 – both the power and the torque generated was much improved. The TWR car had 40 bhp more compared to the prototype. There’s more: the V6 is much smaller than a V12, which resulted in a shorter car – yet still almost 5 meters long! And as we know, more power means more weight. The car managed to fit the 1.5 ton cap due to rich use of aluminum… practically everywhere. All body panels are aluminum. Chassis – aluminum. The suspension has aluminimumum elements. And the Jaguar could generate almost 300 kilos of downforce from its aero design. Not many manufacturers of that time could-… well, but the air drag coefficient ended up at 0.36. Everything has its flaws.

The XJR-15 model based on a motorsport car. XJ220 was completely different. You won’t find carbon fiber there. Instead – a rather spacy cabin and narrower side-skirts to allow easier entrance. This is where the list of good things ends, as – as already mentioned before – the Brits could not afford a supercar. They finished the interior with the worst Ford trash they could find, and they did it in the most careless fashion. Those plastics used there – it’s a disaster. And the rear lights: it’s Ford Escort.

We start liking this car as soon as we hit the road. The suspension setup was just perfect. It had the in-board springs and double wishbones. Its engine was in the middle, which is positive for weight distribution and handling, and it had a rack-and-pinion steering design that provided flawless responsiveness. The car was truly breathtaking. The press could not believe it. They said the world did not see a supercar equal to the Jaguar. Not in terms of handling and road performance. The car, not only fast, but precisely absorbing most of the road’s defects. Man, it is a rare feat for a supercar TODAY! Before XJ220 – forget about it! Racing clutch used was a two-plate sports element lasting 100 burnouts, and the fully synchronized transmission allowed for no mistake. Turbos did generate lags, but they also gave a solid kick. The big power was delivered in a single moment – like an explosion.

And we cannot forget about the most important part: THAT CAT WAS FUCKING FAST! It could go from zero to sixty in 3.6s with no stress. It beat any records of the time. The failed attempts recorded 212 mph – which set the new world’s best. The FAILED try – get it? It beat the Nurburgring time in 1991, and if no catalytic converter – it could top at 217 mph making the Guinness World Record. Admittedly, the promised 220 mph was a scam, but anyway… The fastest car in der welt – it was a Jag.

And a beautiful one at that. Its timeless design combined classic smooth lines of the E-Type and brave futurism the brand lacked at the time. As a result, the XJ220 model aged well and it looks real business even now. It’s elegant, advanced, looks fast and serious – by the standards of today.

It hit the dealerships in 1992, but all cars were sold by 1988. No – it’s not a typo. They sold 4 years before the first car was completed – all of them… and even though, it was a business catastrophe. Not only it faced growing rivalry in its class – the supercar market collapsed exactly with its introduction. Bubble economy ended and the clients backed away. They cancelled orders for the car that had no V12, no AWD, no AWS, no gullwing doors. The Jaguar was sued for it. No joke. Ironically, all those downsides… the car was better for it – but it didn’t matter. The only value the client would admit was the speed records.

… but that was also taken from them. Anno Domini 1993 – McLaren F1 comes to play and all is lost. It had no match – defeated everyone zusammen auf wiedersehen. Not a car has been created that could close the gap in such performance. It took the speed to the next level – never seen before. Not available for a normal driver, until that point. The Jaguar is defeated – one year after its premiere. It becomes obsolete. Outdated over night. Even though its production was cut to just 281 examples – some of them couldn’t find their owners until 1996.

Beaten by its rivals, it made attempt at 1993 Le Mans. Facing team Porsche in a 24-hour challenge of the Circuit de la Sarthe. 3 cars entered the stage in their XJ220-C variants and they qualified for a GT class. Only one reached the finish line and beat the Germans… but they were cheating. Jag removed the catalytic converters from their cars before the race, and such foul play could not be tolerated. Jaguar result was cancelled. XJ220 and the Porsche 959 were alike. They both were intended as Group B machines. Both were finished after its demise. They both are essentially a racecar for the road. The Jaguar is one of the most underrated cars in the history, one of the most beautiful, one of the fastest – and the biggest disappointments.

1932 – SS1 Coupe

Autor Piotr Wilk17 lipca, 202227 września, 2023

Jaguar was established as a brand in 1945, but its roots go deeper than that. William Lyons starts his small business in the early ’20s. The company – Swallow Sidecar Co. – was fixed on manufacturing aluminum motorcycle side cars. Lyons was a moto enthusiast himself, owned a few machines and even entered a few sports events. He worked as a dealer at the time, buying and selling motorcycles – he put his hands on a lot of technology… until he met another William – William Walmsley – who just moved right next to Lyons. Both Williams were neighbours and lived on the very same street. Lyons was dealing motorcycles, and Walmsley was making sidecars in his garage – one per week. What a coincidence!

First cars – Austin Swallow based on Austin Seven

Lyons ordered such sidecar from Walmsley and, impressed when he got it, he suggested both start a business together. Walmsley didn’t want to go that far at first, but he was pressed right and with their parents’ blessing, in year 1922 – on William Lyons’ 21’st birthday BTW – Swallow Sidecars was born. Walmsley was doing the sidecars and Lyons was responsible for sales, accountance and administration. Their business grew enough to move their workshop from the second floor of the electrical equipment factory, to a more suitable and larger building. They also changed their name to Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding – to accommodate their range expansion.

In the early Coachbiulding stage they were just fixing local Austin 7s, but Lyons quickly put 2 and 2 together… he could make much more money executing original and elegant bodies for those cars. At some point he did buy one of these and Swallow made a bespoke body for that model. The car had 2 seats and hinged hood – and quickly went into production as an Austin Swallow. Austin themselves sent their chassis to Swallow workshop, so they could officially finish the car on their own – that’s how good their bodies were – and they had a plethora of options: from roadsters, to sedans and coupes. The company put their bodies on Clyno and Alvis cars, they employed over 50 workers, couldn’t handle the demand and constantly grew bigger. At that point they already made 100 sidecars weekly plus 2 cars a day, but when Shell left their manufacture in Coventry, Lyons put his hands on it instantly – that allowed him easier access to resources and helped increase the output to 50 cars every week. Last years of the ’20s and the early ’30s was a good time for Swallow Sidecars. The brand appeared on a motorshow, got contracts for Fiat bodies, ones for Morris, Wolseley and – what’s most important – for Standard Motor Company (while the production rocketed to 30 automobiles per day). They also decided to construct their own complete vehicle.

A new company – SS Cars – was established for that purpose. Its name is often translated to ‚Standard Swallow’ – wrong. Nick Thorley in his book of Jaguar explains its meaning: and that was ‚Swallow Sports’ – used initially only for the sportier Standard-based models. Lyons showed two of such in 1932: a 6-cylinder SS1 along with its 4-cylinder variant – the SS2. SSI was a 2-door coupe on a specially modified Standard frame. The body and engine were ‚home made’ – and the car offered 50 horsepower for 310 pounds. At that time it was nothing. The SS was a hit – and it sold in 776 examples that year only.

New, bigger bodies were offered from 1933 – in many variants, with synchronized transmission and more powerful engines. And the model was still popular – even though the technology was very similar to the original 1932 SS1 model. The sidecar manufacture business was a good source of money, but compared to the car production – it was small fish. Both had to split and SS Cars Limited began focusing on cars only, with Lyons alone steering the business from now on. In time he bought the whole sidecar plant anyway, so both industies went back to him eventually. And he had a great ambition: to rival the best of the best – Lagonda, Alvis… even Bentley. His SS brand was reputable, but it was quickly forced to change its name…

Standard-based SS models hit the jackpot and they turned people’s heads to the car factory in Coventry. Those vehicles were great design and quality – for a reasonably small price. The plan now was to underline the brand’s position on the market with a car to be synonymous with might and ferocity. They took a name of a cat predator – a Jaguar – and adapted it to the new model. Those cars with a leaping feline as hood ornament were another success – and important part of both English and world automotive history.

Krzysztof Wilk
All sources: favcars.com | wheelsage.org | ultimatecarpage.com | wikipedia.org | Top Gear: The Cool 500 – The Coolest Cars Ever Made | The Kingfisher Motorsports Encyclopedia | M Buckley – The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classic Cars | N Balwdin – The World Guide to Automobiles, the Makers and their Marques | N Thorley – The Complete Book of Jaguar | Publications International – Classic Cars: 60 Years of Driving Excellence

1932 – SS1 Coupe

Autor Piotr Wilk17 lipca, 202227 września, 2023

Jaguar jako marka powstał dopiero w 1945 roku, ale jej korzenie mają swój początek dużo wcześniej. Już na początku lat ’20-stych William Lyons zakłada swoją firemkę. Jest to Swallow Sidecar Co. – podmiot zajmujący się produkcją koszów do motocykli. Lyons był entuzjastą jednośladów i w posiadaniu kilku sztuk – startował też w niejednym evencie sportowym. Pracował u handlarza i miał kontakt z przeróżnymi maszynami. Jedne kupował, inne sprzedawał – sporo technologii przeszło przez jego ręce… aż w pewnym momencie poznał drugiego Williama – Williama Walmsley – który przeprowadził się do domu na tej samej ulicy, co mieszkał Lyons. Panowie byli sąsiadami – a Walmsley w garażu nowego domu klepał jeden kosz do motocykla tygodniowo i puszczał w obieg.

Pierwsze jaskółki – Austin Swallow na bazie Austina Seven

Lyons kupił taki kosz z aluminimum od Walmsleya i stwierdził, że dobre to to. Powiedział mu „panie, dawaj pan – zakładamy biznes we dwóch i rozszerzamy interes”. Walmsley na początku się wahał, ale presja otoczenia, błogosławieństwo rodziców i ogólne wsparcie pomysłu… Tak właśnie w 1922 roku, w dzień 21-szych urodzin Williama Lyonsa, powstała marka Swallow Sidecar. Walmsley zajmował się produkcją a Lyons odpowiadał za sprzedaż, księgowość i administrację – i Walmsley pierwsze kroki stawiał niepewnie, ale biznes szybko się rozrósł a warsztat, z pięterka fabryki sprzętu elektrycznego, trzeba było przenieść do większego budynku. Zmieniono też nazwę na Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding – bo asortyment również miał się poszerzyć.

Początkowo dokonywano napraw na modelach Austina 7, ale Lyons szybko połączył kropki… na oryginalnych, eleganckich karoseriach można zarobić dużo więcej. Wziął w posiadanie sztukę tego modelu i firma wykonała specjalne nadwozie do tego pojazdu. Auto miało dwa siedzenia i opuszczany dach – i szybko weszło do produkcji jako Austin Swallow. Austin sam wysyłał do nich podwozia, żeby Swallow oficjalnie kończył auto u siebie – tak dobre te budy robili – a oferowali przeróżności: kabriolety, sedany i wersje coupe. Firma zajęła się również karoserią do pojazdów marki Alvis oraz Clyno, zatrudniała ponad 50 pracowników, nie wyrabiała z zamówieniami i stale się rozrastała. W tym momencie dawali już radę ogarniać 100 koszów tygodniowo i 2 auta dziennie, ale gdy Shell opuścił swoje faktorie w Coventry, Lyons szybko je zaklepał, co umożliwiło łatwiejszy dostęp do surowca i pozwoliło wypluwać 50 aut na tydzień. Koniec lat ’20-tych i początek ’30-tych, to był bardzo udany czas. Marka pojawiła się na targach motoryzacyjnych, przyjęto zamówienia na blachy dla Fiata, Morrisa, Wolseley oraz – co najważniejsze – dla Standard Motor Company a produkcja wzrosła już do 30 sztuk dziennie. Pojawiło się też pierwsze kompletne auto.

Do tego celu powstała nowa marka: SS Cars, której nazwa jest często tłumaczona jako „Standard Swallow” – błędnie. Nick Thorley, w swej historii Jaguara wyjaśnia, że skrót oznacza „Swallow Sports” i stosowany był początkowo tylko do usportowionych modeli na bazie Standarda. W roku 1932 Lyons zaprezentował takie dwa: 6-cylindrowy SS1, oraz jego 4-cylindrowy wariant – SS2. SSI, to było dwudrzwiowe coupe, które stało na, specjalnie zmodyfikowanym dla Lyonsa, podwoziu Standarda. Karoserię i silnik wykonano własnoręcznie – kompletne auto wyciągało 50 koni mechanicznych za koszt 310 funtów, czyli tyle co nic. To był hit – 776 sztuk tego poszło w jeden rok.

W 1933 doszły nowe, większe nadwozia – w przeróżnych wariantach, ze zsynchronizowaną skrzynią i z mocniejszymi silnikami. A model stale się sprzedawał – mimo, że wszystkie były technologicznie bardzo zbliżone do oryginału z 1932. Produkcja akcesoriów motocyklowych wciąż kwitła, ale w porównaniu do manufaktury samochodowej, to nie było porównania – przez co oba warsztaty musiały się rozdzielić. SS Cars Limited, którą Lyons dowodził teraz samodzielnie, od tej pory zajmowała się wyłącznie samochodami. Lyons po czasie jednak wykupił również i markę Walmsleya, więc oba biznesy finalnie wróciły w jego ręce. A ambicje miał niemałe, bo chciał równać się z najlepszymi. Myślał grać w jednej lidze z Lagondą, Alvisem, czy nawet Bentleyem. Jego marka – SS – zyskała rozgłos… ale szybko musiała zmienić nazwę.

Bazujące na pojazdach Standarda modele SS były strzałem w dziesiątkę i zwróciły uwagę motoryzacyjnego świata na Coventry. Reprezentowały doskonały standard wykonania połączony ze świetnym designem – za niewielką cenę. Lyons zapragnął przypieczętować swoją pozycję autem, które utożsamiane miało być z potęgą i dzikością. Do nowego auta zastosował nową drapieżną nazwę: Jaguar, a maszyna z kotem na masce była kolejnym sukcesem – i stanowiła ważny punkt w historii angielskiej, jak i światowej motoryzacji.

Krzysztof Wilk
Na podstawie: favcars.com | wheelsage.org | ultimatecarpage.com | wikipedia.org | Top Gear: The Cool 500 – The Coolest Cars Ever Made | The Kingfisher Motorsports Encyclopedia | M Buckley – The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Classic Cars | N Balwdin – The World Guide to Automobiles, the Makers and their Marques | N Thorley – The Complete Book of Jaguar | Publications International – Classic Cars: 60 Years of Driving Excellence

SRT

History of automobilism and motorsport

Jaguar

1954 – Jaguar D-Type

1951 – Jaguar C-Type

1992 – Jaguar XJ220

1932 – SS1 Coupe

1932 – SS1 Coupe