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Monterey 2010: Jaguar's 75th birthday party at Pebble Beach

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Jaguar, Misc. Auto Shows

Jaguar 75th Anniversary at Pebble Beach - Click above for high-res image gallery

We've already shown you that Jaguar was honored at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance with a dozen XK-SS roadsters showing up for the party, but there were other Jaguars on hand as well - lots and lots of remarkable Jags.

The history of Jaguar actually began almost 90 years ago when two young men hell-bent on motorcycle glory set up a small company to produce sidecars under the Swallow name in 1922. The younger of the two was William Lyons, who later became Sir William Lyons, mainly because Jaguar went on to bring Britain so much motoring glory. The sidecar business eventually turned into an automobile coachworks, with custom bodies on a bespoke Standard brand chassis that became know as the S.S.I. and S.S.II.

For the follow-up to those early S.S. models - Standard Swallow some think - Lyons had commissioned a new overhead-valve six-cylinder engine that was about 50 percent more powerful than the old side-valve engines they had been using. They put the new engine in a new chassis, enclosed it in the company's first four-door sedan body and Lyons personally chose what he thought was the most appropriate name from a list of choices given to him by his advertising people - Jaguar. On September 23, 1935, the company unveiled the SS Jaguar to London's assembled press. That car led to the short-wheelbase SS Jaguar 100 sports car that helped establish Jaguar's reputation for performance with its early racing success.

After World War II, the company decided to change its name to simply 'Jaguar,' dropping the newly infamous "S.S." label. The automaker also started focusing less on inexpensive sportscars for the homeland market, and more on luxurious models aimed at capturing rich American buyers. One way to do that was with new product and Lyons and his crew were cooking up a duesie - a new sportscar featuring a double overhead cam engine just like the race cars of the era. The goal was 160 horsepower from the engine's 3.4-liter capacity and a 120 mph top speed. That car was the iconic XK120 - "XK" for the engine and "120" for the car's top speed. That begat the XK140 and 150 and a whole slew of other legendary vehicles that bore the Jaguar name.

Some of the finest examples of Jaguar's pedigree were on hand at Pebble Beach on Sunday. Take a look in our high-res gallery below.

1935 S.S. 90
1935 S.S.I. Drophead Coupe
1938 Jaguar SS100 Roadster
1952 Jaguar C-type
1953 Jaguar XK120 SE Roadster
1955 Jaguar D-Type
1961 Jaguar E-Type Fixed Head Coupe
1966 Jaguar XJ13 Prototype

Gallery: Jaguar 75th Anniversary at Pebble Beach

Monterey 2010: Jaguar's 75th birthday party at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum concept marks 75 years of The Cat [w/Video]

Sam Abuelsamid — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Videos, Jaguar, Misc. Auto Shows, Design/Style, Luxury

Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery. Follow the jump to watch video.

The Jaguar XKR175 isn't the only special kitty making its debut out in Monterey. Jag's new limited-production coupe is joined by the one-off XJ75 Platinum concept created to honor of the brand's 75th anniversary. Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance attendees will find it parked on the Concept Car Lawn.

Pearlescent white paint provides a stark contrast to the big saloon's blacked-out grille, D-pillar, and custom 22-inch wheels. Inside, black leather seats get quilted, diamond-stitch suede inserts. The same material also adorns the headliner. Additional glitz comes courtesy of the Bremont Watch Company, which is responsible for the bespoke clock installed in the XJ75's console.

If the 470-horsepower supercharged 5.0-liter V8 doesn't provide enough entertainment, the XJ75 Platinum also features a 1,200-watt, 20-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system. Check out both the official photos and live pictures in high-res galleries below or follow the jump for video walkaround by Jaguar design Boss Ian Callum.

Gallery: Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept

Gallery: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Jaguar]

Continue reading Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum concept marks 75 years of The Cat [w/Video]

Monterey 2010: Jaguar XJ75 Platinum concept marks 75 years of The Cat [w/Video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jaguar 75th anniversary continues with 27 car entry in Mille Miglia

Sam Abuelsamid — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Jaguar

With Jaguar celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, honoring the automaker's motorsports heritage surely has to play a big part in the party. With that in mind there are 27 Jags of various vintages entered in this year's Mille Miglia revival. The factory and Jaguar Heritage Trust are bringing a team of six XK120s, C-Types and D-Types for the 1,000 round trip tour from Brescia to Rome and back.

The current Mille Miglia is open to cars that competed in the original race between 1927 and 1957 as well as other examples of the same model and vintage. In addition to the Jaguars, this year's field includes the usual suspects like Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari as well as makes you've likely never heard of. Those more obscure brands include OM, Morettini (based on a Fiat) and Siata. The 2010 Mille Miglia began yesterday and runs through May 8th.

[Source: Jaguar]

Continue reading Jaguar 75th anniversary continues with 27 car entry in Mille Miglia

Jaguar 75th anniversary continues with 27 car entry in Mille Miglia originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 May 2010 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jaguar observes 75-year anniversary by celebrating past, looking to the future

Jonny Lieberman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Jaguar

Grace and pace and something else - click above for high-res image gallery

Grace and pace. One cannot properly talk Jaguar without mentioning the brand's calling car. For the last 75 years those two attributes have separated Jag from the rest of the pack. After all, not only did the E-Type look that good, but when is debuted in 1961 few cars could match its speed. Those that could, well, they sure didn't look like a Jaguar.

Lately however, the shag-you-are song hasn't exactly remained the same. Don't get us wrong, the brand's adherence to V8s and superchargers has largely ensured the pace part of the equation has been there, but grace... not so much. Or, in the case of the Europe-only diesel X-type Estate (read: station wagon), both terms were rudely, death knellingly absent.

To mark the occasion of their 75th anniversary Jaguar is claiming the old mojo is back. As something more than casual observers of the auto industry, we can assure you that they aren't far off. Five seconds into any journey featuring the brand's new 5.0-liter supercharged V8 will make a believer out of anyone. Moreover, the few fleeting minutes we've spent inside the new XJ's cockpit have made us born again. It might very well be the most graceful interior on planet earth. Now if they could just do something about the XK's snout... Make the jump to check out Jaguar's 75th Anniversary press release, and enjoy the gallery-it's superb.

Gallery: Jaguar 75th Anniversary

[Source: Jaguar]

Continue reading Jaguar observes 75-year anniversary by celebrating past, looking to the future

Jaguar observes 75-year anniversary by celebrating past, looking to the future originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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