Growing up at Jaguar By Graham Robson It was a coincidence, really. I was enormously lucky, fell on my feet in one of the most famous companies in the world, and have never forgotten the great times I had while I was there. It all started at Oxford, where I was reading Engineering, and was…
by Keith Wylde I bought a running 1964 E-Type in 1974. The car had problems, but some fiberglass patches, Bondo, and a backyard paint job made them easy to overlook. The car was fast, fun, and became a daily driver for a couple of years, but the car needed constant attention. Also, every time I…
The E-type is an automotive masterpiece. Of course, Enzo Ferrari famously said that “the Jaguar E-Type is the most beautiful car ever made”. Honest words coming from Mr. Ferrari! Amusing too, at least for my dad and I – we love to joke that he must have turned to his Ferrari peers asking, “Why the…
by Graham Robson March 15, 1961—a special date for Jaguar enthusiasts—it was the moment when the new E-Type met its public for the first time. It was the day almost every other sports car in the world suddenly looked dowdy, when Jaguar realized to their joy that they would have real problems in meeting all…
by Dennis Wheeler In 1969, I was 15. I had run the typical teenage gamut of go-carts, small Honda motorcycles and doin’ wheelies with our MTD lawn tractor. A few of us hung out on Detroit’s Woodward Avenue observing the street machines often racing on cool Friday nights. My uncle Glenn would stop by our…
By Dave Hauman Since 2000, when I watched The Great Race pass through in Bloomington, Illinois, it had been an aspiration of mine to participate. In 2016, when my 1970 Jaguar E-Type qualified, I, along with Kool Kat’s Krewe members Dave Fitch and Craig College, signed up to race. The course that year ran from…
The 1950s were halcyon days for Jaguar. With postwar demand for sports cars reaching record levels, Jaguar’s iconic XK120 two-seater quickly became a must-have amongst the American and European “sporty” car set. Alongside success in the showrooms, the decade also marked a period of near total domination by Jaguar in endurance racing, including 24 Hours…
There’s no time like summer for car shows, and the San Luis Obispo Concours is one of the best on the Central Coast. Benefiting Hospice of San Luis Obispo, the show attracts a fantastic and eclectic group of automobiles that are a real treat to see. All the folks at Hospice and the show volunteers…
Sir William Lyons was born in Blackpool in 1901, the namesake of an Irish father and an English mother. A bright boy, he was curious about machinery and good at school work. His family secured for him an engineering apprenticeship at Crossley Motors where he developed an intense interest in the burgeoning automotive industry. In…
Sports cars have never been the primary aim of Jaguar. They certainly fill a niche in a the market, but saloon cars have been the bread and butter. Fortunately, William Lyons’ pursuit of the perfect luxury car provided the basis for a series of perfect sport cars. Lyons’ dream of a smooth, 100 mph car…
