A car which is a symbol of classic elegance and quality performance is the Jaguar. The name Jaguar made its debut in the United Kingdom and since then has been the icon for Britain's upper class society. Although recently, Jaguar has been acquired by the joint efforts of several automotive manufacturers, it still has the undeniable character of luxurious English tradition.
The Jaguar tradition began when William Walmsley and Bill Lyons started a company called Swallow Sidecar in 1922. It was based in England and was involved in the production of sidecars for motorcycles made of aluminum. In 1933, the name of the company changed to SS Cars Ltd when they decided to enter into the production of cars. The SS Jaguar 100 was officially the first Jaguar car.
SS Cars again changed its name to Jaguar after the Second World War to avoid any connection with the Nazi army which had the same letter initials. The Jaguar Mark V came out in 1948, which was the first post war production car to be produced by Jaguar. The Mark V was a sedan and was followed by the XK120 which gained its popularity due to its high speed performance. It was this car that catapulted the fame of Jaguar into the forefront of the automotive industry.
The Jaguar cars were introduced to the United States in the 1950s. The car model Mark VII Saloon was especially designed for the American consumer and proved to be an important product on the market. That same car won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1956. The Mark VIII and Mark IX soon followed their predecessor.
The E-type Coupe or XK-E was one of the most popular models of Jaguar launched in the 60s. It was a complete package of elegance, style, luxury and performance. The popular band groups then like the Rolling Stones and The Beatles, who used Jaguar cars, also contributed a great deal to the car's continued fame.