The Jaguar Heritage

The Jaguar heritage is important because of its rich legacy and everything that Jaguar has to offer.

There has been more than eighty years of the Jaguar name. Every year was an ability to redesign and make changes. With every change there was a new design to keep up with the new trends that everyone wants. To appreciate the history of Jaguar, let’s discover everything that happened.

The Early Years

The first Jaguar was designed in 1935 SS Jaguar 2.5l Saloon. The founders of the company was William Lyons and William Walmsley in 1922. This car was one of the more popular cars of the pre-war era and it was loved for its power. Because of all the love that was received when the first car was produced, in 1948 the next one was born.

William Lyons produced the XK120 and it introduced an oval grille, which soon became a signature look for Jaguar. This car was a design exercise to try something new for the company and some of these features were lucky enough to stick.

The 50s

The Jaguar race car, C-type, was one of the best of its time. They received help from Malcolm Sayer who was an aerodynamicist who used his experience with aircraft to create this lightweight design. It weighed 25% less than the XK, and because of its weight it was able to win in 1951 and 1953. He then helped make the D-type in 1954, which had the signature tail fin. This tail fin was one of the reasons, along with others, that made this car stand out from its competition.

Late 1900s

Malcolm Sayer continued to help build the Jaguar to continue with the aerodynamic designs that everyone loved. In 1975, the V-12 engine was updated and added to the design of air of luxury and was also capable of a sporting potential. In 1996 the XK8 introduced the first Jaguar V8. The XK8 was one of the fastest selling sports cars in Jaguar’s history.

Ian Callum, the director of design said, “If you look at any Jaguar in history, the one thing it’s got against all the other cars is that it’s always a more exciting shape. When you see a Jaguar on the road it catches the corner of your eye and you want turn around and look at it. That’s what a Jaguar must do. So that’s where we start off”.

Changing Things Up

In 2007, the Jaguar XF was designed from scratch by Ian Callum and was the first Jaguar into a 21st century manufacturer. This design had a low roof and the very recognizable grille from the very original XJ. In 2015 they continued the legacy by making it longer, sleeker and more elegant and attracted the eyes of the businessman.  

Recently in 2016, they had the first performance SUV, the F-PACE. They pushed themselves and stepped out of the box with what they originally knew with a new design of the SUV.

In the coming years, we will not know what to expect. Jaguar will continue to push themselves. So keep an eye out for what they might come out with next.