Jaguar Is Dead

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!