Jaguar just announced that they were changing their brand from this To this…. And the entire world lost. their.
mind. (show reactions) Jaguar was once one of the most iconic brands on the planet, but if I’m being honest, It’s been a long time since they lived up to that reputation So here’s the question: Where did they go wrong? Well, as you’ll soon find out, it was a lot farther back than you think.
But first we have to go all the way back. To where Jaguar took its first steps, and not as a luxury carmaker, oh no, not at all. Jaguar, originally, was a sidecar company!
You know, sidecars, those motorcycle passenger thingies like in that one disney movie with the racist dog? The one that led to Disney having to apologize for it years later. And now when you watch Aristocats on Disney+, you get a warning before you watch the movie, which is after you agree to disney+ terms which means disney will fight you in court if you die at a disney theme park.
. YES, that Sidecar! !
Neat right? The company was called the Swallow SideCar Company, and it was founded by two friends, both motorcycle enthusiasts, william lyons and william walmsley And Billy 1 and Billy 2 were so good at building sidecars, that in just a couple of years they had employees, a big shop, and tons of sales. And then the Billys though, why limit ourselves to just sidecars?
It’s already got 3 wheels, so how hard’s adding a fourth? So Swallow Sidecars decided to do some coachbuilding. Which, for those of you who don’t know, is the word for building custom bodies for cars that were already in production But, there was an issue, Back in the day, if you wanted to be a coachbuilder then you needed permits from the company selling the donor cars And permits took time, and more importantly, money.
So, the Swallow boys had one of their sales reps do an under the table deal with some other sales reps from Austin, the company that made certified bangers like the Healey and Sprite, but the cars that they wanted were the Austin 7s It was a classic case of “Ask for forgiveness, not for permission”, and the swallow sidecars company turned those Austin 7 donor cars into the Austin Seven Swallow And guess what, Austin loved it! They asked a few changes be made for the sake of their brand, but in the end, they allowed the cars to be sold by Swallow Sidecars. All for the bargain price of 175 British Pounds.
And, wouldn’t you know it, the Swallow 7 was a massive success! They even ended up making a saloon version to keep up with customer demand. So the Billys thought, lets do the same thing, but with other cars we like too.
And so they eventually released 3 other models using various chassis from Fiat. Standard, and Swift The one using the “Standard” chassis was called the SS1, and it was my personal favorite, because this was their first ever sports car. And these coach-built cars were such a win, that at this point, they said to hell with sidecars and dropped it from the company name.
But that didn't sit right with Billy 2, William Walmsley. Walmsley had been building sidecars since he was a teenager in his dads garage, so abandoning ship on sidecars and just making cars wasn't his vision So he asked to be bought out and leave the company for good Billy Lyons, the other half of the company, understood Walmsley - They were friends first after all, so Lyons brought in outside shareholders to buy Walmsley’s half of the company. The company rebranded to SS Cars Limited - apparently short for Standard Swallow Cars.
But there’s more to that which we’ll touch on later And in 1936, this new company made an entirely new model, the 1936 SS Jaguar. The SS Jaguar came with either 1. 5L or, the tip spec 2,5 litre model with a scintillating 102 hp 6 cylinder that immediately won over enthusiasts.
This was the type of car that the macho car enthusiasts of the era wanted. And it was the genesis of the ethos of Jaguar. Sleek, cool, sexy, something persisted well into the modern era A Jag was the type of car that would put hair on your chest.
Now, history nerds probably realize that I'm talking about a 6 cylinder luxury car being sold during the depression era in a country still recovering from WW1. It wasn't a recipe for success. So, guests invited to the reveal of the car were all told to guess what the price of the car would be… the average guess?
765 british pounds, a price far too high for people at the time But that was the idea. . William Lyons wanted to sell a car that looked unaffordable and beautiful at a price that was attainable.
That price, was ONLY 395 pounds, almost half of what people expected. And that was the Genesis of the jaguar name. A car that exceeded expectations for everyone But back to that company name - SS Cars.
. We may not know exactly what it stood for, But that didn't really matter because by now it was the 1940s And having SS as your company name wasn't exactly good brand practice, considering there were some unsavory Germans using the same name. So the execs on the board rebranded yet again, to avoid getting hunted by Brad Pitt And why not ride on the wave of their best car, the Jaguar So SS Cars became Jaguar Cars Limited But despite the rebrand, they still stick to Billy 1’s mantra of “value for the money” And their first car under the new name certainly lived up to that, the Jaguar Xk120 It was a wood framed, aluminum paneled roadster that hit 120mph, hence the name, which made it the world's fastest production car at the time The design was striking, sleek, and became the North Star for jaguars design in future models But it wasn't all just looks, the 3.
4 litre inline six was such a well designed engine, that would be used for decades after. The front of the car had independent suspension and the chassis was very rigid for the time. And all for about 1200 British pounds The standard was now set for Jaguar - they were the brand that made a world beating sports car that people could afford, and car enthusiasts were excited for the future.
A lot like how they’re excited for the Albon Pluspy and Chill Tee Shirt. 100% cotton, printed and shipped in Chicago, Illinois. Available at the link in the description!
Eventually, Jaguar came out with the Xk140 and 150. ,. Can you guess what their top speeds were?
? And riding on that success, Jaguar decided to cement their place as a sports car maker. By entering the 1951 24 hours of Le Mans.
And The car they chose for this monumental challenge? The iconic Jag C type. The C Type for those that don't know was officially known as the XK120-C.
And C stood for Competition` It was based on the XK120, but with a tubular frame and a more aerodynamic aluminum body Under the hood was the 3. 4L twin cam inline 6 that we knew and loved, making 205hp Stirling Moss was Among the 6 drivers piloting the Jags, and wouldn’t you know it, an XK120 ended up not only finishing, but winning the whole dang thing The nexy year, all three of their entrants broke down, but in 1953, they improved them again and won the 53 Le Mans with a 1-2-4 finish. In just a few years, the C type Jag became a symbol of british pride on the grid And riding on that high, in 1954 Jaguar brought us the D-Type Now the d type was made for one reason,To win the world's most revered race.
Literally - those are jaguars words not mine - Inspired by aircraft engineering, the D type’s chassis was a monocoque, the body lines were smooth and slippery for aerodynamics, and there was a tailfin for stability. Even the interior was inspired by fighter planes this machine looked like something from the future But it wasn't just the exterior that made this car legendary, it was also what was under the hood! A familiar 3.
4L straight 6, but now capable of 250 HP in its top trim! And In 1955, Jaguar’s D-Type took Le Mans by storm, leading the charge and winning the 24-hour race with an average speed of over 100mph, the first time that was ever achieved at Le Mans But, all that didn’t really matter - the win was overshadowed by the fact that 83 spectators died at that race. The biggest tragedy in racing history.
You can learn about in our video about it linked below the subscribe button But the main point is that even though Jag performed the best they ever had, 1955 was a year was always going to have an asterisk because of the incident - So they decided to regroup and focus on the next year So in 1956, Jaguar returned to Le Mans, with a further improved D-Type, and after a tough fought battle with Aston Martin and Ferrari, Jaguar took the win by just 1 lap. It was them doubling down that they were indeed the fastest in the world, and if that wasn't enough, 1957 would seal the 3-peat for the Jaguar D type - The D type had become the ultimate racecar It was a machine that embodied Jaguar’s ambition to push limits and break boundaries. And thanks to the D-Type, Jaguar was now not just making cars, They were building legends!
Which is the perfect segue into their next car - the Jaguar E-type A car so stunning that MrEnzo Ferrari himself called it the most beautiful car ever made - okay that quote is unconfirmed but some you believe paul walker really said that quote on your rear window so i’m letting it slide The E type was the grand tourer of the lineup and came not only as a striking long nosed coupe, but also as a convertible; and eventually a 2+2 It was also fast, thanks to a new-ish 3. 8L inline 6, reaching 150mph and 0 to 60 under 7 seconds But more importantly, once again, it was much cheaper than its competitors A trait that would eventually be forgotten in the company's mission But we’ll get to the downfall later The E-Type was more than a car, it was a cultural icon of the 60s Frank Sinatra, George Harrison, Tony Curtis, The Italian Job? ?
But that cultural cache was a blessing and a curse - because jaguar wasn't just about winning races anymore The E type wasn't even successful in motorsports like its predecessors, but its influence was just as big as the ones that won le mans before it But as the 1970s rolled around the corner, things started to change, and not for the better… Now, some background first. Back in the 50s, Jaguar noticed there was a steel shortage, So in order to prevent this shortage from delaying their cars, they partnered with nearby steel production companies Jaguar paid them a boatload of money, and companies like Pressed Steel Company Limited would supply the monocoques to Jaguar, and Jaguar only Win-win. .
until two decades later when that same steel company was bought out by BMC - the company behind Morris Motors and Austin Motors Billy Lyons, still at the head of the company, realized that his steel supplier was just bought out by a competing car brand, and so understandably, he panicked. Jaguar couldn’t make cars without steel, and he wasn’t optimistic about BMC playing ball and continuing their steel arrangement. So Billy 1 had no choice but to swallow his pride and reach out to BMC for a merger.
BMC accepted. And the now merged company was renamed to British Motor Holdings Now, it gets worse from here British Motor Holdings then merged with Leyland Motor Corporation, a bus and truck manufacturer that also owned Triumph and Rover And all of this resulted in the new company, British Leyland Motor Corporation So within a few quick years, Jaguar went from being an independent brand making the most influential cars in the world, to being buried deeeeeeep in multi-company conglomerate And during all this, our great leader, Sir Williams Lyons, aka Billy 1 decided to retire, and leave Jaguar completely. And well it was all downhill from there.
Despite all their best efforts, British Leyland was on its way to bankruptcy And the writing on the wall, was known as the Ryder Report - a report given to the British Government that listed the essential steps needed to save British Leyland Motor Corporation Steps that required the chairman to resign, the factory machinery to all be replaced, and an entire new facility and location be built in place of the old one, A series of tasks that would cost the British taxpayers 1. 26 billion pounds. If they didn't, well then the British government would be basically giving up on entirety of the British Auto Industry Along with the jobs of over a million British people.
And so, the government bailed out BLMC, and nationalised the company under the new name British Leyland Limited. And among all the car brands now owned by the government, ones that made buses, trucks, saloons and estates for everyday people. You know which mattered the least?
Yeah, Jaguar. Building sporty luxury cars was not where the government was interested in spending their money, And so the quality and reliability of the Jaguars coming out of the factory had taken a serious hit Plus with Billy Lyons now long gone, there was nobody left who could innovate and continue creating that Jaguar magic It was painfully clear that if Jaguar continued as the ugly duckling of British Leyland, there wasn’t going to be a Jaguar for much longer. 9 years later of course, Margaret Thatcher, the milk snatcher’s, government led a campaign of privatisation.
And among the brands being spun off into independent companies, was Jaguar. Jaguar finally was free from British Leyland, free to do whatever they wanted. And for a bit, the future seemed bright again.
Especially in 1988 when the Jaguar XJR-9 crossed the finish line first at le mans A car that would go down in gran turismo hall of fame Buutttt that rise to the top didn't last long, because in 1989, Ford swooped in and placed a bid worth double of the companies valuation, spending 2. 38 billions dollars acquiring jaguar, making it a ford subsidiary And once again, Jaguars identity was in question with new ownership but maybe this wasn’t the worst thing to happen. Jaguars quality at that time wasn't just bad, it was abysmal.
Again not my words, that’s from the jaguar chairman “It was a terrible organization making terrible cars” So a big company like ford Ford would be able to invest their cash into making Jag produce quality cars again, all while competing with the likes of BMW and Mercedes on the global level. And of course, jaguar would also be able to invest in developing new models Like the S type in 1999 and the X type in 2001, executive sedans that went head to head with the Germans. And of course, most notably, their first and only supercar, the XJ220, A 542hp, mid engined, twin turbo V6 monster, that was the fastest production car in the world when it came out in 1992.
Hell, Jaguar even had a stint in Formula 1 thanks to Ford! But I don't think there was actually any Jaguar engineering - they just slapped a jag sticker on top of some ford race cars. And, to be perfectly honest, that was a perfect metaphor for Jaguars Identity at the time.
Jaguar enthusiasts never truly accepted the S and X-types. In their eyes, they were just glorified Fords. Especially since they shared platforms with the Lincoln LS and Ford Contour And even with the brand engineering, Ford still wasn't pulling a profit with jaguar cars.
In just 2006 and 2007, Ford lost 15 billion dollars with Jaguar And so… Jaguar was sold off once again in 2008 This time to Tata motors from India, who also bought Land Rover from Ford And Tata Motors would combine the two companies, creating Jaguar Land Rover A company that still exists to this day. And the now Indian JLR made some of the more popular jaguars you know today, The F Type, the XE, the XJ, and the XF And honestly, things started to finally look up for Jag. Year by year, sales started to increase.
They weren’t dethroning BMW anytime soon, but no longer was Jaguar the cursed child who could never turn a profit And it seemed like, perhaps, Jaguar was on track to finally reliving some of its glory days. Until the inevitable happened - an automaker deeply rooted with racing pedigree succumbed to the deadliest sin in the automotive world… They made an SUV The F Pace Now, there's a supercharged V8 version making over 500hp that’s actually pretty cool, BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT Jaguar was once again struggling to find its identity - and with every passing year, it seemed less and less like the same company that Billy Lyons fought to preserve all those years ago. If you look at the Jaguar website today you'll see that theres only 4 models for sale - and 3 of them are SUVs All models that clearly fail to capture the spirit of Jaguar.
And If Jaguar doesnt know who jaguar is, then who does? ? This lack of identity has been apparent in their recent sales too, having sold under 9000 cars in 2023 and 2024 combined.
And all of that culminated in their announcement that that production of all of their cars has ended Like, all of them! The f type - done The XF - done The XE- done The E pace- done. The I pace - done Only one car is still for sale in the US - the F pace And in the UK, Jaguar has stopped selling cars entirely.
If you ask Jaguar why, they'll tell you they're setting up to re-launch as an all new electric brand. . Once again shifting their identity entirely, but hey maybe this would finally be the one.
The right move that brought Jag back. Show weird space jagUAr After all that anticipation, Jaguar released a video that was so confusing, that the entire internet blew up. And Jaguar became the car world’s laughingstock in 31 seconds.
Immediately after that, they released photos of their next concept car, the Type 00, which looks like the result of a 12 second AI image generation with the prompt, “cool pink car from the future” And well, I don’t know what to think? Can jaguar reinvent itself once again? At this rate, I’m not too optimistic.
And a fashion show on mars isn’t exactly instilling confidence in me. At this point, it seems like Jaguar’s identity is not having an identity? Or maybe, more optimistically, jaguars’s identity is about adapting - From sidecars to sports cars, to racecars, to family cars, to whatever the heck this is Maybe Jaguar can finally come full circle and create something that pays respect to the power, the innovation, the quintessentially british coolness that could only ever be found in a Jaaag Thanks for watching!
If you think jaguar can make a comeback, let us know in the comments or jump in our discord linked below, but good luck getting through to all the rotary guys. And don’t forget to get a Pluspy and chill T shirt at the link below the like button. I’ll see you in the next one!
