The History of Jaguar Motorcars

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Nov 20th 2008 at 9:02AM

The famed British motorcar marque Jaguar began life as a different species altogether; in 1922 a company called Swallow began manufacturing motorcycle sidecars, building its first automobiles under the name SS in 1927; in 1945 the name was changed to Jaguar, and the rest was automotive history.

Jaguar: The Complete Story, a new book by Heiner Stertkamp, is a lavish visual history of the world-famous car maker, from its "ascension to fame with the postwar XK series cars," followed by the introduction of the iconic E-Type in 1961, the XJ series, and most recently the high-tech XF.

The book includes racing vehicles and prototypes as well as production models, all presented in sumptuous, large format photographs. With Jaguar beginning another chapter under new owner Tata Motors, this is a fitting time to review the rich history of one of the world's most enduring symbols of speed, style and beauty.

Tags: Jaguar, Sportscar