The History of Jaguar Cars

William Lyons founded the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. Just a few years later, he built his first car, the SS1. In 1935, the company rolled out the SS Jaguar and in 1937, the SS Jaguar 2.5 Liter Sedan made its entrance onto the car scene. Jaguar automobiles quickly became popular for both their function and form. In 1948, the Jaguar XK120 was released. Designed by Lyons himself, it was an immediate hit and with a top speed of 133 mph, it was the world’s fastest production car at the time. The C-type was released in 1951 and the design was inspired by aerodynamics — fittingly, the car placed first at Le Mans. In 1954, the Jaguar D-Type was released — notably, it was the first in the line to feature a unibody structure and went on to win five of the top six places at Le Mans in 1957. In 1961, Jaguar released the E-Type, a car that was described by Enzo Ferrari as “the most beautiful car ever made.” Today, Jaguar continues to manufacture a variety of sports cars as well as a line of SUVs, sedans, and even electric vehicles.