Jaguar automobiles have always been arguably regarded as some of the most stylishly beautiful vehicles in the world. This carmaker has been around since 1935, and the brand is produced in Coventry, England. However, to learn about the beginnings of this classic make, one must turn the page all the way back to 1922. William Lyons and William Walmsley began building motorcycle sidecars that year under the name of the Swallow Sidecar Company. By 1928, this company began to construct coachwork for established brands such as Fiat, Alvis, and Austin. Lyons in particular got bored with having to be limited to the styling restrictions of these brands, so he designed and developed his own complete automobiles. Initially, this new car was called the SS. Automotive publications of the day began to take notice of the SS, and this resulted in rave reviews. Once this occurred, Lyons decided that his car needed a better name that would stick in the minds of car enthusiasts. Instead of naming the car after himself like Porsche, Bugatti, Bentley, and others had done, he came up with Jaguar. Thus, the first car to carry the Jaguar moniker was the 1935 SS 100. Soon , more than 5000 Jaguars were being produced annually. For the time, that was an impressive number. Then World War II broke out, and just as with many other counties, England ceased car production to focus on military vehicles. Once the war ended, automotive manufacturing resumed. The first post-war Jaguar would come to be known as the Mark IV. It was also at this time that the SS name was dropped altogether in light of the Nazis’ use of these initials, and the company name was officially changed to Jaguar Cars, LTD. In 1948, the first Jaguar sports cars were produced. This resulted in the beautiful-looking XK-120, a two-seater with a hemispherical cylinder head, twin overhead cams, and a top speed of 120 miles per hour. These were later followed by upgraded XK-140 and XK-150 models. By the 1950s, Lyons also expanded the Jaguar line into motor racing. Both the C-Type and D-Type were built specifically for LeMans. Jaguar placed many victories in this renowned event, but then Lyons’ son was killed en route to the 1955 race. William then completely pulled Jaguar out of the racing circuit. Interestingly, a few of the D-Types were sold as street cars and are very rare and collectible today. In the latter part of the 1950s, Lyons developed the Mark 1, and just before 1960, the Mark 2. These were also gorgeous Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society