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| Made in the UK |
| The Jaguar pounces |
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The Jaguar brand is still
renowned today for its
state-of-the-art luxury saloons,
such as the
S-type and X-type
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The launch of the Jaguar E-type in 1961 was equally sensational.
Jaguar had been founded in Blackpool in the 1920s as a manufacturer
of sidecars and had already produced a classic sports car,
the XK 120 Roadster, by the late 1940s.
But it was the advent of
the E-type that established Jaguar internationally. The E-type was
the fastest production sports car of its time (150 mph), and it
was sleek, powerful and extremely beautiful. It
was also a bargain at approximately half
the cost of its main rivals such as Ferrari.
In recognition of this, the classic E-type
became, in 1996, only the third
car ever to be displayed in
the permanent collection of
the Museum of Modern Art
in New York.
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| Jaguar was also responsible
for the world's first luxury
sports saloon car, the
1959 Mk II. An elegant and
refined car that could reach up to 125 mph, the Mk II was
famously driven by Inspector Morse in the well-known UK TV
series. The Jaguar brand is still renowned today for its state-of-the-
art luxury saloons, such as the S-type and X-type. The high adrenaline
2003 X-type is perhaps the most affordable, agile and
stylish of the current Jaguar range.
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| The Jaguar brand has always been identified with high speed and
high performance. There may even be some truth in the amusing
claim that the Mk II was favoured by bank robbers, who needed
to make a quick getaway! The racing pedigree of the Jaguar brand
has likewise been proved time and again on the racetrack, by the
C- and D-types at Le Mans in the 1950s and by the new Jaguar
Cosworth team in Formula 1. The sensational XJ220 supercar
went on sale to the public in 1995: it had a breathtaking top
speed of 213 mph and it was the first production car to break
the 200 mph barrier.
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