I was one of the first Jaguar importers in the United States after
receiving a franchise from Sir William Lyons in San Francisco,
California. Jaguar Cars is a British luxury car manufacturer now
headquartered in Coventry, England. Although it is still in operation,
Jaguar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indian Tata Motors and is
operated in conjunction with Land Rover. In 1922, Sir William Lyons
founded the Swallow Sidecar Company, which first made motorcycle
sidecars and then later passenger cars. The company was renamed Jaguar
after World War II because of unfavorable associations with the SS
initials of Swallow Sidecar. Financially decimated by the war, Jaguar
was forced to sell its Motor Panels plant, which had been acquired in
the late 1930s, but the company’s early post-war models achieved
unexpected recognition. Jaguar’s success allowed it to acquire the
Standard Motor Company that produced the six cylinder engines used in
Jaguar automobiles.

Jaguar was made a household name in the 1950s with a number of elegant
sports cars and luxury saloons. In 1951, Jaguar leased a plant from the
Daimler Motor Company that allowed for a greater rate of production and,
in 1960, purchased Daimler from its parent company. During the 1960s,
Jaguar used the name Daimler on its most luxurious saloons. Jaguar also
received a great deal of attention for winning the Le Mans 24-hour race
in both 1956 and 1957, securing the attention of motor sports
enthusiasts. In the 1970s, Jaguar merged with the British Motor
Corporation and was bought by the Ford Motor Company in 1989, which
owned it until 2008 when it was bought by Tata Motors, its current
owner.