Jaguar is the legendary English brand of vehicles which was founded in 1922 by Swallow Sidecar Company. The headquarters of the company is situated in Whitley, England. Currently the owner of Jaguar is Tata Motors, which bought it from Ford in 2008. Jaguar is a division of Jaguar Land Rover. The brand has a rather well-known and recognizable logo, a leaping sliver jaguar as the embodiment of strength and speed. The slogan of the world famous car production brand is “How alive are you?” which tells the buyer in advance that the company is focused on speed and achieving goals.
Meaning and history
In 1922 William Lyons and William Walmsley, two motorcycle enthusiasts, founded the company and the first time the famous Jaguar appeared was in September 1935 and it was a model name on an SS 2½-litre sports saloon.
The jumping jaguar, a symbol of the brand represents the company’s spirit perfectly. As it has already been mentioned, the leaping jaguar embodies passion for driving, strength, sophistication and confidence — everything Jaguar values and considers important. The cold silver tones represent luxury and splendour.
1922 – 1935
In 1922, the year The Swallow Sidecar Company started its operation, the original logo did not resemble the logo Jaguar has today. It looked like a dark blue circle with a red border and two golden wings on both sides. The name of the company – “Swallow Sidecar Company” – is written inside of the circle. The company added the word “Jaguar” only in 1935.
1935 – 1945
The winged logo acquired a new form with a more angular shape of the wings, an addition of a tail, and a replacement of a circle with a hexagon. These changes created a distinct and daring appearance. At the same time, the brown color palette with black accents gave an impression of a reliable and stable company. The geometric initials in the center supported this idea. It is also worth noting that the inscription “Jaguar” first appeared along with the “Swallow Sidecar” initials and stayed this way until the company was renamed.
1945 – 1951
The new logo reflects the new name of the company. It has replaced the “SS” initials and was printed using bold strokes. The letters had varying heights creating a shape that repeated the shape of the hexagon. The shape of the bird looked very similar to the previous one, but it was now done in black and white.
1951 – 1957
The new logo put an end to the winged logos and the start of a new era. It was just the brand name, but the bold, uppercase letters with serifs created a grand and luxurious image. The font resembled Sirenne Text MVB SC Roman but with a serif at the top of the “A”.
1957 – 1982
The new Jaguar 2.4 Litre saloon was announced in 1955 and was presented with a new grille introduced in 1957. It was accompanied by a round emblem with bright orange, yellow, and black color palette. The black was used for a wide border that featured an inscription “Jaguar” across the top and “2.4 Litre” at the bottom. The center had the head of a jaguar on an orange background with rays creating a textured look. The logo was again nothing like the company had before. At the same time, it introduced an animal that soon became the visual identity of the brand.
1982 – 2001
The earliest logo with the leaping animal was created in 1982.
2001 – 2012
In 2001the company made slight changes to its logo: the jaguar looks thinner and therefore more refined and elegant now. The letters of the brand’s name are black and are thinner and smaller as well.
2012 -2021
The latest version of the logo is in grey, silver and black colors: the chosen color spectrum represents wealth and splendor. The figure of the animal has been made three – dimensional and the silver tones accentuate the shades making the jaguar look more realistic. The name of the brand is silver as well. The color spectrum of the logo as it has already been mentioned embodies magnificence, elegance and high quality of the product.
2021 – Today
The designers brought back the flat, black-and-white logo style. Although it was still the same jumping wild cat and the same inscription underneath, the emblem looked more modern and, at the same time, reminded of the logos the company had since 1982. It appears that the designers knew even twenty years ago what will look both stylish and elegant and powerful no matter how much time passes by.
2023 – now ( JLR Logo )
This logo combines the elegant lettering seen in the Jaguar logo introduced in 2021 and slanted cuts of the Land Rover logo created in the same year. The “JLR” monogram does not have any fancy elements. Its clean, polished lines create a sophisticated, modern, and sleek brand image that will look just as perfect on Land Rover automobiles as it will on luxurious Jaguar cars.
The legends
In October 1948 Jaguar launches XK120, their new record-breaking engine design in their sportscar which replaces the prewar SS Jaguar 100. The second big breakthrough of the company was the large Mark VII saloon in 1950, a car especially produced for the American market. In 1960s Mark 2 with wider windows and 2.4, 3.4, and 3.8-litre engine options became one of the most famous Jaguar models ever produced. Speaking of the more recent saloons, XJ (1968–1992) became the most significant among Jaguar’s cars. These and many other cars produced by the brand are considered to be historic car models.
The concept cars
Jaguar has a rather long list of the most stylish and technologically advanced concept cars. Among them E1A which is the 1950s E-Type concept vehicle; E2 A – the second E-Type concept vehicle made to race at LeMans and in the USA; XK 180 (1998) –concept car based on the XK8; C-X17 (2013) –the first Jaguar SUV concept car and many others.
Race cars
Jaguar is considered to be rather successful in sports car racing, particularly in the Le Mans 24 Hours. The brand’s car were participating and winning in 1951, 1953 with the C-Type, then in 1955, 1956 and 1957 with the D-Type. The TWR XJ-S won the Bathurst 1000 race in 1985 and the Jaguar XJR-14 was the last of the XJRs to win, taking the 1991 World Sportscar Championship.
