9781422279571

I NT RODUC T I ON

T he automobiles of Jaguar have always been singu- larly beautiful creations, as well as enthusiastic performers and outstanding values. From the be- ginning, they appealed to a society that wanted transportation that was more appealing than Great Britain’s generally pedestrian offerings, but more reasonably priced than the top–end marques such as Rolls–Royce and Bentley. The company was launched by a pair of motor- cycle enthusiasts in Blackpool, Lancashire: William Walmsley, and a young entrepreneurial fellow named William Lyons, a son of a local family whose business sense and eye for design would ultimately make Jaguar an extension of his personality and vision. With loans from their fathers, the pair established the Swallow Sidecar Company in a tiny Blackpool shop in 1922. Lyons’ business savvy allowed the company to thrive, and within four years the com- pany moved to larger quarters that allowed it to expand operations to include automotive body building and repair. At the time, the tiny Austin Seven automobile was enjoying considerable success, which Swallow duly noted. The company bought a rolling chassis and designed and built an attractive body, launching the car in 1927 as the Austin Swallow. The car was an overnight success, with the volume of dealer orders necessitating to a 40,000-square–foot factory in Foleshill in the Midlands. Production soon rose to 50 cars per week, including production on chassis from other car companies such as Standard, Swift, and Morris. Standard Nine and Sixteen rolling chassis would soon form the foundation for new designs from Swallow, the SS 1 and SS 2. Introduced to the public in 1931 as drophead and fixed–head coupes, the SS

4