Jaguar
Jaguar is a British manufacturer of high-end luxury cars based out of Coventry, England, and is currently owned by Tata Motors Ltd. Jaguar is a name that has become synonymous with elegance and power through its production of sophisticated and highly stylized sports cars and saloons. Jaguar has also experienced success in its motorsport endeavors, including two victories at Lemans in 1956 and 1957.
Initially founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, the company later changed its name to Jaguar to avoid association between their commonly used SS abbreviation and the Nazi Waffen-SS. The name Jaguar first appeared on the 1935 SS Jaguar, a 2.5-liter saloon. In 1960, the company purchased a plant from the Daimler Motor Company. Since the late 1960s, Jaguar has attached the Daimler name to their most luxurious models.
In 1951, Jaguar introduced the widely successful Mark VII saloon designed for the American market. Subsequently, the Mark VII won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1956. Jaguar introduced its first unibody design, the 1955 Mark 1, as a small saloon featuring a 2.4-liter short stroke version of the XK engine. This car was redesigned in 1959 as the widely recognizable Mark 2, which featured a larger engine and wider windows. In 1968, Jaguar launched its flagship model, the XJ, which is currently still in production.
