Otto Explains — Legendary Cars
The Legendary Cars That Defined Jaguar
Short Answer
Eight cars changed what Jaguar is. The SS Jaguar 2½ Litre of 1935 gave the company its name, the XK120 of 1948 gave it its engine and its sporting reputation, and the C-type made it a Le Mans winner. The XJ6 of 1968 set its saloon formula for half a century, the X-TYPE took it into compact cars, the F-PACE made it an SUV maker and the I-PACE made it electric. The Type 01 of 2026 begins its all-electric era.
How did Otto choose these cars?
A car is here only for what it changed at Jaguar: its name, its engineering, its racing identity, its customers or its direction. Fame alone was not enough, so celebrated cars such as the E-type, the D-type and the XJ220 are in Otto’s separate list of ten iconic Jaguars. Each section below explains the change a car caused and what it left behind.
How did the SS Jaguar 2½ Litre give the company its name?
Launched in September 1935, the SS Jaguar 2½ Litre Saloon was the first model to carry the Jaguar name and the first four-door car from SS. It also raised the engineering: a new overhead-valve six-cylinder engine developed with Harry Weslake gave 102bhp, against the 70bhp of the earlier SS1. From the 1938 model year Jaguar switched to all-steel bodies, which eventually allowed a large increase in production. The name proved stronger than the company’s own: in 1945 SS Cars became Jaguar Cars.
How did the XK120 change Jaguar?
The XK120 of 1948 introduced the XK engine, a 3,442cc straight six with twin overhead camshafts, and that engine shaped Jaguar for about four decades. The first 240 cars had hand-made aluminium bodies, and the 120mph top speed made the XK120 the world’s fastest production car; a standard car reached 126mph at Jabbeke in Belgium. In rallying, Ian Appleyard’s XK120 won the Alpine Rally in 1950 and 1951 and earned the first Alpine Gold Cup in 1952, giving Jaguar its sporting credentials.
How did the C-type make Jaguar a Le Mans name?
Built for racing, with a weight-saving multi-tubular frame and the XK engine, the C-type won the Le Mans 24 Hours at its first attempt in 1951. Jaguar then developed disc brakes with Dunlop: in 1952 a C-type became the first car with disc brakes to win an international race, and in 1953 it gave Jaguar the first Le Mans victory for a disc-braked car. These wins began a run of five Le Mans victories by 1957 and made racing part of Jaguar’s identity.
How did the XJ6 set Jaguar’s saloon formula?
By 1967 Jaguar sold four separate saloon ranges with nine models between them. The XJ6, launched on 26 September 1968 after its premiere at the Paris Motor Show, replaced them with one basic design, developed under the code name XJ4 and named for its six cylinders, with 2.8-litre or 4.2-litre XK engines. The XJ became Jaguar’s flagship for half a century: Jaguar counted eight generations by 2018, built the one millionth XJ in February 2015 and ended XJ production on 5 July 2019.
Why was the X-TYPE a turning point?
Shown in Geneva in March 2001 and built at Halewood on Merseyside, the X-TYPE was Jaguar’s first compact sports saloon and the smallest-engined Jaguar for thirty years. It brought Traction-4 full-time all-wheel drive to its V6 models and, in 2003, Jaguar’s first diesel engine and first production estate. Aimed at new kinds of customers, it reached 100,000 cars within two years. Under Ford it widened Jaguar from a maker of large saloons and sports cars into a broader range.
How did the F-PACE change Jaguar’s market?
The F-PACE was Jaguar’s first SUV. It was revealed in Frankfurt on 14 September 2015 by driving through a world-record loop, won the 2017 World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year awards, and became the fastest-selling Jaguar. By May 2024, 328,000 had been built at Solihull, and the E-PACE and I-PACE followed it into the SUV market.
How did the I-PACE make Jaguar electric?
Unveiled on 1 March 2018, the I-PACE was the first all-electric production Jaguar. Its two Jaguar-designed electric motors, one at each axle, give all-wheel drive, and the battery sits between the axles for 50:50 weight distribution. It was built in Graz, Austria, by Magna Steyr and won the 2019 World Car of the Year, World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car awards and European Car of the Year 2019. If you are comparing electric and hybrid cars, Otto explains the differences between hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric cars.
What is the Type 01 changing?
The Type 01, revealed on 7 October 2026, is the first production Jaguar on Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA), a platform unique to Jaguar, and the first car of the all-electric direction JLR announced in 2021. It is a four-door GT, designed, engineered and built in the UK, with three electric motors and up to 1,030PS, which Jaguar says makes it the most powerful Jaguar road car. Jaguar expects orders to open in early 2027, so its lasting effect on the company is still to come.
Common Questions
- Was the first Jaguar a saloon or a sports car? Both arrived together. The first model to carry the Jaguar name was the SS Jaguar 2½ Litre Saloon of September 1935, and the SS100 sports car was introduced alongside it.
- What was Jaguar’s first SUV? The F-PACE, revealed in 2015. It was followed by the compact E-PACE and the all-electric I-PACE.
- What was Jaguar’s first electric car? The I-PACE, unveiled in 2018, was the first all-electric production Jaguar.
- What was Jaguar’s first estate car? The X-TYPE Estate of 2003 was Jaguar’s first production estate. The XF Sportbrake followed for the 2012 model year.
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