Jaguar, from motorcycle sidecars to luxury cars
The car voted 2008 What Car, car of the year, was the Jaguar XF, an award that it certainly deserved. Leasing and contract hire brokers are experiencing strong interest the car. It is hard to imagine that its manufacturer Jaguar was originally a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars called the Swallow Sidecar Company. It started when two motorcycle enthusiasts formed a new partnership in 1922, they were William Lyons and William Walmsley. In many partnerships there is one of the partners who really drives the company forward, in this case it was Lyons.
Lyons and Walmsley certainly went into the market at the right time; motorcycle sidecars were extremely popular at the time and continued to be right through till the 60's. The reason being that the average worker could not afford a car, once they could motorcycles almost disappeared from Britain's roads, until their revival many years later. Sidecars proved so popular because they allowed the married man to take his family out on day trips. They could accommodate the children whilst the wife would ride pillion, crash helmets however were not a legal requirement at the time. The Swallow Sidecar Company captured market share by having very appealing designs.
By the late 1920's the company had ventured into cars and built the body for the Austin Seven, a fairly basic and inexpensive car that proved extremely popular. They changed the name of the company to The Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company and moved from Blackpool where they had been based, to bigger premises in Coventry. Coventry was at the time the centre of the British motor industry. Their work became recognized and respected throughout the industry and they went on to build the bodies for many different manufacturers.
It didn't take the company long before they were producing their own car the company launched the SS1 in 1931. It sold for 310 but actually looked a lot more expensive. It was low, had wire wheels and was quite long, the overall impression was of an expensive sports car. It was shown at the 1931 Motor Show and gathered large crowds. The Company name was changed again during 1933 to SS Cars and they launched the SS1 Tourer. William Walmsley resigned from the company.
The SS90 was introduced during the mid 30's; its cost was under 400, which was very good value for money and the design was very sporty. Next came the SS100, it had twin carburettors and 2,633 cc engine. The car was fast, however an even faster version went on show at the Motor Show in 1938, this time with a 3,845 cc engine. Its production was interrupted by the start of the Second World War.
Normal production stopped during the war as it did for all motor manufacturers. Both German and British motor manufacturers switched their production to military vehicles. Because of it's concentration of manufacturing industry, Coventry was heavily bombed by the Germans. Equally Volkswagen BMW and Mercedes were prime targets for the allied forces.
After the war the company had to change it's name. The name SS with all its association with Nazi Germany was far from ideal; in 1948 the company became Jaguar cars. In the same year the XK120 was introduced. Some say its designers came up with the idea of the XK during their long hours on fire watch duty, all members of staff would normally take their turn doing fire watch duty, even senior management; during the war, if you did not have personnel on fire watch during the night, there was a good chance your factory wouldn't be there in the morning.
The XK120 was first shown at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1948. So called because that was the top speed of the car, very fast indeed for it's day. At the time there was nothing that could match its speed and excellent road holding. It was however the design that made it so breathtaking, a design that even today is so admired, an open sports car with wire wheels often seen with a leather strap over the bonnet. Men dreamed of owning one, girls dreamed of being driven around in one. It became know, perhaps a little unfairly, as the cad's car; with images of a rather unchivalrous Terry Thomas type character behind the wheel.
Jaguar enjoyed enormous success in the 50's; it saw the launch of the Mark V11 it was a large impressive car that enjoyed motor racing success. Britain's Mike Hawthorn, the country's first Formula 1 driver raced the car, as did Stirling Moss. The 1956 Monte Carlo Rally was won by a Mark V11. 1954 saw the introduction of the XK 140; it had new features such as rack and pinion steering and a rear seat suitable for small children. It is debatable whether the typical buyer had small children in mind when buying an XK140. Next came the XK150 this model had disc brakes. Jaguar launched the Mark 1, the Mark 11 and the Mark 1X.
In the late 50's and early 60'successful businessmen drove the Mark 11 but strangely it also became the mark of the successful villain. It was also targeted by car thieves, once stolen they would be used as getaway cars for Jewellery smash and grab and bank robberies. Police then bought the Mark 11 and to give themselves an edge, modified the engines. In a Florida auction in 2008 a Mark 11 was sold for $75,900.
The Mark X came out in 1961; it was originally aimed at the US market and was really a very big car for the UK. It was approaching 17 feet in length and very wide. The fuel consumption was 17 mpg, which was unacceptable to many British motorists. 1961 also saw the launch of the amazing E Type; first seen at the Geneva Motor Show it took the motoring world by storm. The design was far head of it's time. It was probably the most desired car that has ever been produced, those that could afford the 2000 price tag, bought one. 2000 was a lot of money in 1961, but still less expensive than its rivals it was a very proud moment for Jaguar
In 1968 Jaguar launched the XJ6, between 68 and 73 they manufactured nearly 100,000. The series 11 was launched and in one form or another, the XJ continued in production for many years. It proved to be an ideal car for the owner to either drive him or herself or be chauffer driven, it was neither two large or too small for either option. William Lyons finally retired from the company in 1972.
1975 saw the introduction of the XJS; the motoring press gave it very good reviews but some Jaguar enthusiasts were disappointed with the design. Some twelve years later their faith in the Jaguar design team was restored when the XK8 was launched in 1997. A wonderfully designed car that had almost as much class and style as the E Type of some 36 years earlier.
In 1966 Sir William Lyons as he had now become was in negotiation with BMC who were interested in purchasing Jaguar. Leyland were also interested in acquiring Jaguar, this put Lyons in a strong negotiating position. BMC won the day, as did Sir William, as he got what he wanted; which was for Jaguar to be autonomous and to have a seat on the board of the company that had now become BMH.
In 1968 Jaguar's fortunes started to change they became part of the British Leyland Corporation; British Leyland had become very large and chaotic. Labour relations deteriorated to an all time low and whilst Sir William did everything he could to look after Jaguar and its workforce Morale was slipping and it deteriorated further when Jaguar's founder retired in 1972. Even the company's name had been changed from Jaguar Cars ltd to British Leyland Exports ltd; it appeared to be change for the sake of change but it certainly caused the workforce to further loose identity. The inevitable happened and in 1975 the company went bankrupt and was nationalised by the government. One can only imagine what Sir William felt for Jaguar the company he had nursed for fifty years.
Jaguar was then in the hands of Bob Knight a loyal Jaguar man, who was determined to turn the company around. Jaguar reputation for poor reliability was becoming well known and sales were dropping. Knight was convinced that a lot of the company's quality problems were as a result of outside suppliers supplying components that were of poor quality and subsequently failing, making Jaguar cars look bad in the eyes of the public.
John Egan took over from Bob Knight in 1980, not joining at the best of times; he took over whilst the Jaguar workers were on strike. He didn't really know what he could offer them, so he asked them to trust him and they agreed to go back to work. Michael Edwards head of what was now called BL, agreed to give Jaguar more independence. Egan carried on with Bob Knights fight to return the company to its earlier profitability. Morale improved but it was going to be long struggles in 1981 just over 13,000 Jaguars were sold.
The problem that was first recognised by Bob Knight; outside companies supplying poor quality components to Jaguar, was one of the first areas tackled by Egan; supplying Jaguar with components became conditional on the supplier taking responsibility for the reliability of their components and having to cover the cost of the replacement warranty work if they failed. Perhaps not surprisingly, quality improved very quickly.
Morale amongst the workforce improved when in 1982 the company was restored to Jaguar Cars ltd effectively giving it back its identity and in 1984 the Thatcher government privatised the company, it became Jaguar plc. After so much turmoil the company was safe again. Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 in a deal worth $2.5 billion. Over the following years it is estimated that they invested another $10,000 billion between the two companies they had acquired, Land Rover and Jaguar
In 1982 the company was re-named Jaguar Cars ltd and in 1984 was privatised by the Thatcher government, Jaguar Plc was formed. John Egan remained with the company as chief executive. Jaguar's future was once again secure. In 1989 Ford bought Jaguar for $2.5 billion, it has been estimated by some observers, that since then it put between $1billion and $1.5 billion a year into the company, more conservative estimates are that Ford invested over the years, a further $10 billion into Jaguar and Land Rover, which it had also bought.
Ford got some return on their investment into Land Rover but not from Jaguar. Ford was worried about the future of large cars and in 2001 launched the X Type. It was hoped that it would rival BMW's and Mercedes' entry models, it did not. Using Ford Mondeo components in the X Type did not help its reputation, Jaguar was after all a luxury brand. With the benefit of hindsight Ford must have seen the X Type as a big mistake.
Ford had problems of its own and needed to concentrate on their own core business, Jaguar was eventually put up for sale along with Land Rover. Ford had sold most of its stake in Aston Martin in 2007 and in March 2008 both Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata the Indian motor manufacturer for $2.3 billion. It must have been a bitter pill for Ford to swallow, made even more bitter, by having to find a further $600 million to make up the shortfall in the two companies' pension funds. Furthermore Ford will miss out on the success of the new XF model.
There has been some comment that Jaguar, that represents everything that is British, has now fallen into foreign hands but Jaguar has been in foreign hands since 1989 and what is most important is that the company survives. It is very clear from the history of Jaguar, that it needs autonomy in order to succeed. Tata have made it clear that it does not intend to "meddle" with Jaguar and that it wants the Jaguar tradition to survive and prosper.
In 2006 of 30,000 Germans polled, the majority favoured Jaguar over the German produced Mercedes, BMW and Audi; Jaguar is also extremely popular in America. The XF model being hailed as a triumph and with contract hire and leasing companies, that are responsible for so many of the cars on the roads of Britain, placing significant orders for this model, there seems no reason why Jaguar will not be around for another 86 years. - 2368
Lyons and Walmsley certainly went into the market at the right time; motorcycle sidecars were extremely popular at the time and continued to be right through till the 60's. The reason being that the average worker could not afford a car, once they could motorcycles almost disappeared from Britain's roads, until their revival many years later. Sidecars proved so popular because they allowed the married man to take his family out on day trips. They could accommodate the children whilst the wife would ride pillion, crash helmets however were not a legal requirement at the time. The Swallow Sidecar Company captured market share by having very appealing designs.
By the late 1920's the company had ventured into cars and built the body for the Austin Seven, a fairly basic and inexpensive car that proved extremely popular. They changed the name of the company to The Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company and moved from Blackpool where they had been based, to bigger premises in Coventry. Coventry was at the time the centre of the British motor industry. Their work became recognized and respected throughout the industry and they went on to build the bodies for many different manufacturers.
It didn't take the company long before they were producing their own car the company launched the SS1 in 1931. It sold for 310 but actually looked a lot more expensive. It was low, had wire wheels and was quite long, the overall impression was of an expensive sports car. It was shown at the 1931 Motor Show and gathered large crowds. The Company name was changed again during 1933 to SS Cars and they launched the SS1 Tourer. William Walmsley resigned from the company.
The SS90 was introduced during the mid 30's; its cost was under 400, which was very good value for money and the design was very sporty. Next came the SS100, it had twin carburettors and 2,633 cc engine. The car was fast, however an even faster version went on show at the Motor Show in 1938, this time with a 3,845 cc engine. Its production was interrupted by the start of the Second World War.
Normal production stopped during the war as it did for all motor manufacturers. Both German and British motor manufacturers switched their production to military vehicles. Because of it's concentration of manufacturing industry, Coventry was heavily bombed by the Germans. Equally Volkswagen BMW and Mercedes were prime targets for the allied forces.
After the war the company had to change it's name. The name SS with all its association with Nazi Germany was far from ideal; in 1948 the company became Jaguar cars. In the same year the XK120 was introduced. Some say its designers came up with the idea of the XK during their long hours on fire watch duty, all members of staff would normally take their turn doing fire watch duty, even senior management; during the war, if you did not have personnel on fire watch during the night, there was a good chance your factory wouldn't be there in the morning.
The XK120 was first shown at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1948. So called because that was the top speed of the car, very fast indeed for it's day. At the time there was nothing that could match its speed and excellent road holding. It was however the design that made it so breathtaking, a design that even today is so admired, an open sports car with wire wheels often seen with a leather strap over the bonnet. Men dreamed of owning one, girls dreamed of being driven around in one. It became know, perhaps a little unfairly, as the cad's car; with images of a rather unchivalrous Terry Thomas type character behind the wheel.
Jaguar enjoyed enormous success in the 50's; it saw the launch of the Mark V11 it was a large impressive car that enjoyed motor racing success. Britain's Mike Hawthorn, the country's first Formula 1 driver raced the car, as did Stirling Moss. The 1956 Monte Carlo Rally was won by a Mark V11. 1954 saw the introduction of the XK 140; it had new features such as rack and pinion steering and a rear seat suitable for small children. It is debatable whether the typical buyer had small children in mind when buying an XK140. Next came the XK150 this model had disc brakes. Jaguar launched the Mark 1, the Mark 11 and the Mark 1X.
In the late 50's and early 60'successful businessmen drove the Mark 11 but strangely it also became the mark of the successful villain. It was also targeted by car thieves, once stolen they would be used as getaway cars for Jewellery smash and grab and bank robberies. Police then bought the Mark 11 and to give themselves an edge, modified the engines. In a Florida auction in 2008 a Mark 11 was sold for $75,900.
The Mark X came out in 1961; it was originally aimed at the US market and was really a very big car for the UK. It was approaching 17 feet in length and very wide. The fuel consumption was 17 mpg, which was unacceptable to many British motorists. 1961 also saw the launch of the amazing E Type; first seen at the Geneva Motor Show it took the motoring world by storm. The design was far head of it's time. It was probably the most desired car that has ever been produced, those that could afford the 2000 price tag, bought one. 2000 was a lot of money in 1961, but still less expensive than its rivals it was a very proud moment for Jaguar
In 1968 Jaguar launched the XJ6, between 68 and 73 they manufactured nearly 100,000. The series 11 was launched and in one form or another, the XJ continued in production for many years. It proved to be an ideal car for the owner to either drive him or herself or be chauffer driven, it was neither two large or too small for either option. William Lyons finally retired from the company in 1972.
1975 saw the introduction of the XJS; the motoring press gave it very good reviews but some Jaguar enthusiasts were disappointed with the design. Some twelve years later their faith in the Jaguar design team was restored when the XK8 was launched in 1997. A wonderfully designed car that had almost as much class and style as the E Type of some 36 years earlier.
In 1966 Sir William Lyons as he had now become was in negotiation with BMC who were interested in purchasing Jaguar. Leyland were also interested in acquiring Jaguar, this put Lyons in a strong negotiating position. BMC won the day, as did Sir William, as he got what he wanted; which was for Jaguar to be autonomous and to have a seat on the board of the company that had now become BMH.
In 1968 Jaguar's fortunes started to change they became part of the British Leyland Corporation; British Leyland had become very large and chaotic. Labour relations deteriorated to an all time low and whilst Sir William did everything he could to look after Jaguar and its workforce Morale was slipping and it deteriorated further when Jaguar's founder retired in 1972. Even the company's name had been changed from Jaguar Cars ltd to British Leyland Exports ltd; it appeared to be change for the sake of change but it certainly caused the workforce to further loose identity. The inevitable happened and in 1975 the company went bankrupt and was nationalised by the government. One can only imagine what Sir William felt for Jaguar the company he had nursed for fifty years.
Jaguar was then in the hands of Bob Knight a loyal Jaguar man, who was determined to turn the company around. Jaguar reputation for poor reliability was becoming well known and sales were dropping. Knight was convinced that a lot of the company's quality problems were as a result of outside suppliers supplying components that were of poor quality and subsequently failing, making Jaguar cars look bad in the eyes of the public.
John Egan took over from Bob Knight in 1980, not joining at the best of times; he took over whilst the Jaguar workers were on strike. He didn't really know what he could offer them, so he asked them to trust him and they agreed to go back to work. Michael Edwards head of what was now called BL, agreed to give Jaguar more independence. Egan carried on with Bob Knights fight to return the company to its earlier profitability. Morale improved but it was going to be long struggles in 1981 just over 13,000 Jaguars were sold.
The problem that was first recognised by Bob Knight; outside companies supplying poor quality components to Jaguar, was one of the first areas tackled by Egan; supplying Jaguar with components became conditional on the supplier taking responsibility for the reliability of their components and having to cover the cost of the replacement warranty work if they failed. Perhaps not surprisingly, quality improved very quickly.
Morale amongst the workforce improved when in 1982 the company was restored to Jaguar Cars ltd effectively giving it back its identity and in 1984 the Thatcher government privatised the company, it became Jaguar plc. After so much turmoil the company was safe again. Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 in a deal worth $2.5 billion. Over the following years it is estimated that they invested another $10,000 billion between the two companies they had acquired, Land Rover and Jaguar
In 1982 the company was re-named Jaguar Cars ltd and in 1984 was privatised by the Thatcher government, Jaguar Plc was formed. John Egan remained with the company as chief executive. Jaguar's future was once again secure. In 1989 Ford bought Jaguar for $2.5 billion, it has been estimated by some observers, that since then it put between $1billion and $1.5 billion a year into the company, more conservative estimates are that Ford invested over the years, a further $10 billion into Jaguar and Land Rover, which it had also bought.
Ford got some return on their investment into Land Rover but not from Jaguar. Ford was worried about the future of large cars and in 2001 launched the X Type. It was hoped that it would rival BMW's and Mercedes' entry models, it did not. Using Ford Mondeo components in the X Type did not help its reputation, Jaguar was after all a luxury brand. With the benefit of hindsight Ford must have seen the X Type as a big mistake.
Ford had problems of its own and needed to concentrate on their own core business, Jaguar was eventually put up for sale along with Land Rover. Ford had sold most of its stake in Aston Martin in 2007 and in March 2008 both Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to Tata the Indian motor manufacturer for $2.3 billion. It must have been a bitter pill for Ford to swallow, made even more bitter, by having to find a further $600 million to make up the shortfall in the two companies' pension funds. Furthermore Ford will miss out on the success of the new XF model.
There has been some comment that Jaguar, that represents everything that is British, has now fallen into foreign hands but Jaguar has been in foreign hands since 1989 and what is most important is that the company survives. It is very clear from the history of Jaguar, that it needs autonomy in order to succeed. Tata have made it clear that it does not intend to "meddle" with Jaguar and that it wants the Jaguar tradition to survive and prosper.
In 2006 of 30,000 Germans polled, the majority favoured Jaguar over the German produced Mercedes, BMW and Audi; Jaguar is also extremely popular in America. The XF model being hailed as a triumph and with contract hire and leasing companies, that are responsible for so many of the cars on the roads of Britain, placing significant orders for this model, there seems no reason why Jaguar will not be around for another 86 years. - 2368
About the Author:
For more information about contract hire, lease purchase, finance lease or vehicle hire purchase in the UK please contact Bowater Price plc 01494 536 536.
posted by Frank Potter at 5:10 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home