Without William Lyons and his inherent sense of style and business acumen, there would have never been a Jaguar car. But it is also doubtful that William Lyons would have ever found his way into the automotive industry if it weren’t for William Walmsley.
In his early years, William Lyons was apprenticed to Crossley Motors Limited, but by the time he turned 18 he had set his sights on a more flamboyant sales career in Blackpool. Lyons had a passion for motorcycles, and by chance met William Walmsley, who was living close by. Walmsley had set up shop in the family garage building sidecars for motorcycles. After they met, Lyons purchased one of the sidecars and a short time later, the pair started in business together, forming the Swallow Sidecar Company on 4 September 1922. Within four years they were producing 10 sidecars a week, as well as undertaking body repairs. The company name was changed to Swallow Sidecar & Coachbuilding Company.
The introduction of the Austin 7 in 1922 proved signifi cant for many aspiring coachbuilders. While economical to purchase, the diminutive vehicle consisted of an excellent chassis and lively running gear, a perfect testing ground for the coachbuilder’s craft. Lyons and Walmsley 
bought their fi rst Austin 7 in 1927, and built a two-seater open sports body for it designed by Lyons. Christened the Austin Swallow, it was an instant success. One London-based Austin dealer ordered 500 duplicates. The following year the Swallow sedan was introduced, also on an Austin 7 chassis. While the company still produced sidecars, its name changed to Swallow Coachbuilding Company.
Going to Coventry
When the company outgrew the Blackpool premises at the end of 1928 it moved to Coventry, the centre of the British automotive industry. While Austin chassis still proved popular, other makes such as Swift, Morris, Wolseley and Standard were used also.
In 1931, John Black of Standard agreed to sell a modified version of the Standard six-cylinder chassis, allowing Swallow to produce the first cars of its own design.
The SSI model was launched at the 1931 Motor Show and a shorter wheelbase version was called the SS2.
These new cars from the Swallow Coachbuilding Company caused a sensation, for while they had the look of a Bentley they sold at less than a third of the Bentley’s price. Many people wondered how the company could build such cars for the price, a question that persisted for many subsequent models.
In 1933 the company’s name was changed again, this time to SS Cars Ltd. However, there was also an amicable parting between Lyons and Walmsley.
Lyons was keen on pressing ahead, enlarging and improving the company, but Walmsley preferred to remain an engineer — he was happier tinkering than running a growing automotive manufacturer.
In the mid 1930s the fi rst of the sports deadmodels appeared, first the SS90, quickly followed by the SS100. Available with either a 1.5 or 2.5-litre engine, the SS100 caused a sensation with its rakish, flashy lines and minimal list price. With multiple competition successes under its belt, the SS100 is counted among the most significant and best-looking sports cars ever built. Of particular signifi cance was the introduction of the 3.5-litre SS Jaguar 100 in 1937. While the war loomed, SS Cars Ltd continued to build vehicles until 1940 when production was given over to the war effort.
Jaguar
The story has been often been told how, while on air raid duty, Lyons, William Haynes and Walter Hassan would plot the direction of the company following the end of hostilities. Their plans included designing a new dohc engine that was destined to become legendary.
With the war’s end, Swallow Sidecars was sold off and the company changed its name to Jaguar Cars Ltd. By July 1945, Jaguar was one of the fi rst British manufacturers to return to vehicle production, albeit with a revised pre-war model. The same year also saw the production of the first LHD vehicles for the burgeoning US market. It wasn’t until 1948 that the first all-new model was introduced, though still with the Standard-based 2.5 and 3.5- litre straight sixes.
The fruit of those war-time discussions was, of course, the XK dohc engine. The intention was to introduce it in a new Jaguar saloon in time for the 1948 London Motor Show.
The company failed to meet the deadmodels line but, still anxious to present the engine to the motoring world, an open sports car was quickly designed and hand built in alloy. Christened the Jaguar XK120, it stole the show, and Jaguar decided to put the car into limited production, retaining the alloy bodywork.
Early Jaguars
Just 240 alloy-bodied XK120s were built, but as demand was so strong production of a steel-bodied version commenced.
That gave rise to the XK range of road cars, among them the 140, 150 — and later E-types (called XK-E in the US). While the Jaguar XK sports cars were more than successful on the track, there were better things to come. Called the XK120C, or just the C-type, and later the phenomenal D-type, these competition Jaguars carried the name throughout the motor racing world with countless wins, including five wins at Le Mans. Proving that the XK engine was suitable for saloons as well as sports cars, the fi rst XK-powered Jaguar saloon was the stately MkVII of 1950. It stayed in production until 1957, when it was replaced by the more luxurious MkVIII. Aiming to appeal to a different sector of the market, Jaguar released its new compact 2.4 and 3.4 sedans in 1956.
Known retrospectively as the MkI following the introduction of the Mk2 in 1959, over 127,000 of these compact Jaguars were built until the model was phased out in 1968.
Despite the success of its more compact vehicles, Jaguar did not neglect the higher end of the market. The MkX of 1961 (and subsequent 420G) set the scene for a range of luxury cars that stayed in production in one form or another for close to 40 years. William Lyons was knighted in 1956 to honour his services to the motor industry.
XJ Models
With the release of the XJ6 in late 1968, all other Jaguar sedans were in effect made redundant. The motoring world was taken aback by the level of sophistication in the new Jaguar, and the XJ6 redefi ned the standard for low levels of road noise and vibration in a new car equipped with radial tyres as standard. The occupants of the cabin were looked after as well, with burr walnut, sumptuous carpet and leather. The design of the XJ6 was unmistakeably Jaguar, with many imposing styling cues carried on from previous models.
Mechanically, the famed XK engine in 4.2-litre form proved ideal for the new luxury Jaguar sedan. To appeal to the economy-driven company car end of the market, a 2.8-litre version was also offered, but less than satisfactory sales caused its withdrawal after just fi ve years.
To augment the XK engine, Jaguar released another bombshell in 1971 — the 5.3-litre sohc V12 engine. First released in the Series 3 E-type, the same engine was fi tted to the XJ sedan the following year. Staying in production until 1986, the original XJ6 proved to be the most popular Jaguar ever, with over 311,000 produced.
Of interest within the XJ series was the two-door XJC coupes, built only in Series 2 body styling. Fitted with both the XK and V12 engines, just 8403 XJCs were built, making the model highly collectable today.
Jaguar, by this stage part of the British Leyland combine, made an abortive return to motor sport with a team of V12 XJCs in the European Touring Car Championships.
E-type replacement
The last E-Type rolled down the production line in 1975, and later on in the same year the V12-powered XJ-S was released. It was the last model Jaguar that Sir Williams Lyons had an involvement with. He retired in March 1972 after 50 years at the helm of the company he started, and died in February 1985.
The ’80s and ’90s was a period of change for Jaguar. Besides the passing of Lyons, it escaped the alliance with Leyland by becoming a public company in 1984. There were also wins at Le Mans in 1988 and 1990, the former ending seven straight wins in a row for Porsche. At the other end of the scale, profi ts were in decline. On 1 January 1990, Jaguar Cars Ltd became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company.
Into the Future
By the early 1980s, the XK engine was approaching the end of its life. Jaguar’s new engine was a 3.6-litre dohc straightsix christened the AJ6, short for Advanced Jaguar. This new engine was fitted to the XJ-S and, in 1986, to the new XJ40 that also went on to be known as the XJ6.
The XJ-S continued in production and was also offered with the V12 engine. To increase its popularity, a convertible version was available. When discontinued in 1996 it had been in production for 21 years, the longest for any Jaguar.
Under Ford’s control, Jaguar was allowed to maintain some of its distinctive identity. The mid to late 1990s saw new ranges of Jaguar cars, the V6-powered X-type, the S-type and the XK8. The XJ still exists, with a choice of V6 or V8 engine, but with an all-aluminium body revealing those same styling cues from the first XJ in 1968.
Hopefully, the future of Jaguar will be assured despite the recent news from Ford of the closure of thte Browns Lane factory in Coventry.
Words: Patrick Quinn Photos: Mark Quinn
