SS Cars SS1

Here is a post Gaucho Man should enjoy. By the way, it will be the last one for the year, as I’ll be away during the Christmas season. See you back half-way through January, and advance greetings to all of you! :)

A little history

I suppose that there is no need to go through the early years of what would become Jaguar once more. How two friends, William Lyons and William Walmsley, set up the successful Swallow company building sidecars for motorcycles, then ventured into coachbuilding by fitting new sporty bodies to the plebeian Austin Seven has been told over and over again. Then, nine years into existence and carried by its initial successes, their company, Swallow, unveiled its very own car during the 1931 London Motor Show: the SS Cars SS1. Actually, Standard was responsible for a large share of the new model’s input, designing its chassis and providing its engines. Displacing 2100 or 2600cc, those couldn’t allow tremendous performance but the SS1 was in line with all previous Swallow products: it was an elegant and affordable sports car. The concept proved a winning one, 4200 copies of the SS1 being built until 1936. Among those, of particular mention is the striking Airline coupe, launched in 1934 and of which 624 were made. Interestingly, though it is the best remembered SS1 today, the Airline had been inspired by Walmsley but was disliked by Lyons. This wasn’t the only point on which the two partners couldn’t agree. Walmsley was satisfied enough with Swallow’s success, while Lyons only had expansion in mind. In the end, Walmsley gave up and sold his shares to Lyons in 1935. Under the latter’s guidance, SS would continuously develop: after a 1935 reorganization that saw the Swallow sidecars activities being separated from the SS automobile ones, then completely sold ten years later, SS changed its name to Jaguar, which would soon unveil the famous XK120 and enter the racing scene with the C- then D-Types. Lyons would remain at the helm of his company until 1972, designing most of its cars in the process, up to the legendary Jaguar XJ6. He would peacefully die in 1985.

About the model

Model: SS Cars SS1 Airline coupe
Year: 1935
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.39 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

A simple - not many separate parts and, in this Altaya version, wheels that are a little too thick - yet elegant rendition of the famed SS1. My rating is 13/20.

Jaguar E-Type

That’s now something as four weeks that I didn’t write anything on this blog. To tell the truth, a post about the E-Type should have followed the last one within the usual three-day delay, but I simply lacked any inspiration for writing it...

A little history

...for what is still to be written about such a mythical car? It probably is the ultimate sports car of the Sixties, a sleek, powerful, glamorous yet relatively affordable roadster. By affordable, I obviously mean that it enjoyed a rather low factory price in its time, keeping in touch with the Jaguar tradition, as it saw since then its value skyrocketing at auctions. And what is marvellous with this car is the fact that, more than any other Jaguar, with its muscular, tastefully curved body, it fully incarnates the animal the Coventry factory took its name from.

Jaguar had to replace its long-running XK series. All what its engineers learned during the Fifties with the C- and D-Type racing cars was put to good use when designing the road-going E-Type. The most noticeable similarity between the Le Mans-winning D-Type and its heir was the rounded bodysides/small track combination, a typical characteristic that was supposed to favour high speeds on long straights. Another heritage was the four-wheel disk brakes system. It had been pioneered in motor racing by Jaguar with its C-Type, and was now made part of its road-going cars’ equipment. Power came from the trusted 3.8-litre DOHC straight six used by the XK150. Available as two equally rakish roadster or fastback coupe, the E-Type was introduced in March 1961.

The car’s career would last for fourteen years, during which it didn’t change much overall, or rather, evolved by constant yet tiny steps. Jaguar tried to improve two aspects of its E-Type: its comfort, which, as with most other British roadsters of the time, wasn’t its main quality; and its performances, in order to stay competitive as younger rivals were seeing light.

More than anywhere else, comfort was crucial on the American market, where the car was widely sold as the XKE. New seats and a fully-synchromesh gearbox solved a few of the limitations of the initial car. Jaguar couldn’t avoid offering an automatic transmission, which was done by 1966. Simultaneously, a 2+2 coupe was added to the strict two-seater offered at first.

Regarding performances, the early E-Type’s 3.8-litre block was replaced by a larger 4.2-litre six as early as 1964. The new engine also addressed a common problem of the first production cars: overheating. Finally, Jaguar was able to squeeze its 5.3-litre V12 under the E-Type’s bonnet in 1971.

More than 38,000 E-Type left the Jaguar factory before the model was discontinued in 1975, in favour of the larger, heavier and somewhat blander XJS. Commercial success was its first goal, and was fully attained. As an iconic automobile, the role played by the E-Type to further enhance Jaguar’s image cannot be measured. On the other hand, the racing career of the E-Type was, unlike that of the XK series, virtually non-existent, except during its very first years when a special “lightweight” version was developed.

About the models

I often said that I prefer to spend my money on scale models of vintage cars rather than modern ones. I should add that among my priorities, I buy die-casts of plain cars rather than classics. For this reason, all of my E-Types are very simple and cheap models – one day perhaps I’ll finally buy a decent model of this great car.

Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: High Speed
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: High Speed, "Model Collection" series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2005, in Manila, Philippines

High Speed over-simplified its E-Type. The front end suffered most. The rear window has odd proportions in my opinion, while the wire wheels... oh no, better not to even mention them. My rating is 6/20.







Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: High Speed
Scale: 1/87
Distributed by: High Speed, "Model Collection" series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2005, in Manila, Philippines

Obviously, High Speed's approach is less damageable in the smaller HO scale, though the wheels remain unacceptable. I'll increase my rating to 10/20 for this model.





Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: New Ray
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: New Ray, "Auto Model Kit" series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2003, in Manila, Philippines

To make it short: it's a New Ray, period. My rating is 2/20. "No more?", some of you could ask. Oh no, believe me.





Model: Jaguar E-Type
Year: 1961
Maker: Del Prado, or whoever builds models for Del Prado
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Del Prado through an unknown Japanese press series
Acquired: second hand without box but with stand, in April 2006, in Manila, Philippines

...and the winner is...
Only marginally better than the previous models, this Del Prado features more details, and is proportioned correctly enough. Headlights don't receive any cover, though, which was only a trait of the last E-Types built. Wire wheels aren't good (Del Prado definitely has no idea about how to make them, whatever the model) but are still better than the ones of its rivals. Let's give it a 9/20.

Jaguar S-Type

A little history

While for many years the XJ was the only saloon available from Jaguar, it has not always been so. During the Sixties, the posh and fast 420 was supplemented by a smaller model, the iconic Mark II. Between the two even stood an S-Type, which borrowed from both models and seems now the least remembered model of this period. The XJ put an end to this confusion by replacing all these cars in 1968.

By the Nineties, Jaguar’s salon had grown larger, so arose the need for a smaller alternative. Though the name S-Type was resurrected, the new car owed much to the Mark II, borrowing from its glorious ancestor many design cues inside and out, most notably the typical front grille and the overall rounded body. As Jaguar was then owned by Ford, the S-Type’s platform was shared with some of Fomoco’s American products. On standard S-Types, a 3.0-litre V6 engine drove the rear wheels. After the car’s introduction during the 1998 Birmingham motor show, new engines were added, including a smaller 2.5-litre V6 and a 2.7-litre diesel. An “R” variant was added in 2002; with a supercharged 4.2-litre V8 good for 400 hp, it allowed thrilling performances – not bad for the car’s image as the mainstream V6-powered S-Types suffered from lacklustre performances, a shameful trait for a Jaguar.

With the presentation of the new XF at the 2007 Frankfurt motor show, the days were numbered for the S-Type. Indeed, the car was gradually replaced after the XF went on sale during the spring of 2008 and, for model year 2009, was gone for good.

About the models

Model: Jaguar S-Type
Year: c.1998
Maker: Maisto
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Maisto, “Classic Collection” series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2004, in Manila, Philippines

A nice model considering the price. The passenger compartment in particular has been carefully reproduced, including a lovely steering wheel. My rating is 13/20.









Model: Jaguar S-Type
Year: c.1998
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in January 2005, in Manila, Philippines

The same S-Type is also proposed by Hongwell/Cararama as an even cheaper alternative. In all respects though the Maisto, though far from perfect, is superior to this model, to which I cannot give more than 8/20.









Model: Jaguar S-Type
Year: c.1998
Maker: Hongwell
Scale: 1/72
Distributed by: Cararama
Acquired: brand new, in November 2003, in Manila, Philippines

Hongwell also reproduced the S-Type in 1/72 scale. The result is good enough this time to be given a 12/20.

Jaguar XJR6 to XJR14

A little history

After a few seasons spent across the Atlantic in IMSA racing, Jaguar decided to return to the international sportscars championship, three decades after the C-Type dominated the racing scene. Long gone were the Ferraris, Maseratis and Mercedes-Benzes it used to challenge in those days as in 1985, when its XJR6 made its debut, Porsche was all-conquering with its extraordinary 956 and its new 962. Facing such a formidable opposition wasn’t an easy task, so Jaguar secured the help of designer Tony Southgate, along with that of Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s, which would build and develop the car. Though TWR had previously been very successful in racing the XJS coupe in touring cars events, it initially fared much worse with the XJR6. Despite its huge but naturally-aspirated 6.5-litre V12, the XJR6 couldn’t compete with the Porsches, not even with the fast but fragile Lancia LC2s. Further developed for 1986 and helped by Lancia’s withdrawal, the XJR6 proved much more competitive, the team scoring a promising victory with F1 regulars Cheever and Warwick at the Silverstone 1000 kms.

For 1987, Tony Southgate refined its original design into the new XJR8, powered by a V12 enlarged to a whopping 7.0-litre displacement. Dominated during the early season, Porsche’s works team would withdraw, a move that paved Jaguar’s path to success. The British team won 8 of the 10 world championship’s events, clinching both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ crowns, the latter being worn by Brazilian Raul Boesel. Triumph wasn’t complete though, as Jaguar failed to win to most prestigious event of the season, the Le Mans 24 hours.

With Porsche’s ageing 962, now in the hands of private teams, facing a brand-new XJR9, 1988 should have been an easy year for Jaguar. This would have happened without the new Sauber C9, fitted with its tremendous turbocharged 5.0-litre Mercedes-Benz engine. Out of 11 events, 6 went to Jaguar and 5 to Sauber, which was enough for the British team to retain its title. Furthermore, it won Le Mans, for the first time in thirty-one years. For this particular event, nothing had been let to chance, TWR even developing a special “LM” low-drag version.

After two great years, things would turn sour in 1989. Sauber’s C9 was now fully developed, while the 962 recovered some of its competitiveness. It was the XJR9’s turn to play the ageing contender from which the title would be disputed. As things weren’t better in IMSA championship, Jaguar introduced a new XJR11 in the midst of this disastrous season, abandoning its naturally-aspirated engines for a brand-new twin-turbo 3.5-litre V6 block (based on the engine of the MG Metro’s rally version), but the British efforts were to no avail. The car returned in 1990, followed by an updated XJR12 which marked a return to un-supercharged engines. Not a dent could be made into Sauber’s supremacy. The only satisfaction for Jaguar was a new victory at Le Mans, albeit without much competition, as the race had been excluded from the world championship.

Juggling with the ever-changing regulations of the time – Max and Bernie had launched their onslaught on sportscars racing – Jaguar introduced a new XJR14 for 1991. Tony Southgate’s failures brought his replacement by Ross Brawn. No more effort was made to develop an in-house engine, and power now came from a normally-aspirated 3.5-litre Cosworth engine. Sauber was still there, but a new challenger had seen light: Peugeot. The latter took a thundering start by winning at Suzuka, but its fragile 905 still needed development. The title was closely contested, but Jaguar prevailed. At Le Mans, on a track that now included the infamous chicanes on the Mulsanne straight, courtesy of the aforesaid evil pair, Jaguar entered the XJR12 with its reliable 7.4-litre V12, but victory went to Mazda.

Irritated by the continuously changing rules in FIA world championship, Jaguar decided to retire after 1991. While the XJR14 ran one last year in IMSA without achieving much success, the FIA finally reached its goal of killing the sportscars championship for 1993.

About the models

Model: Jaguar XJR9
Year: 1988
Event: 1988 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Jan Lammers, Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries (finished 1st overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.48 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France

A correct model which suffers from the lack of tobacco sponsorship. My rating is 11/20.









Model: Jaguar XJR12 Advanced
Year: 1990
Event: 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by John Nielsen, Price Cobb and Martin Brundle (finished 1st overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.28 of its Les Plus Belles Voitures des 24 Heures du Mans press series
Acquired: brand new, around December 2004, in Souillac, France

Basically the same model as the above, but with a different rear wing... and, curiously enough, tobacco sponsorship: 12/20.







Model: Jaguar XJR12 Advanced
Year: 1991
Event: 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Davy Jones, Raul Boesel and Michel Ferté (finished 2nd overall)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.10 of its Les monstres sacrés de l'endurance press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2007, in Souillac, France

This later series from Altaya supposedly proposed models with a higher level of quality than its predecessor, but difference is not obvious when examining this particular die-cast, hence a 11/20 rating.

Jaguar XJ6

A little history

One of the most famous cars in automobile history, the Jaguar XJ series was born out of the realization by the company’s management, some time during the mid-Sixties, that their range had to be rationalized. Apart from the top-of-the-line Mk.X, the fastest four-door saloon in the world at the time of its launch, and the famed E-Type coupes and convertibles, no less than three distinct (though related) cars were produced in the entry-level range. The smallest engines which powered these cars were either a 2.4-litre, 6-cylinder block by Jaguar or a 2.5-litre V8 provided by Daimler. Competition on the domestic market, most notably by Rover and Triumph, was becoming harsh in this field. Therefore Jaguar decided to aim higher, but such a replacement, with probably a 3.0 to 3.5-litre engine under its bonnet, would have been too close from the Mk.X. Therefore, it was decided to replace all saloons in production by a single offer, the XJ6.

For the time being, the project was called XJ4. There was nothing revolutionary about the car – Jaguar just included in it all what it knew how to do best. Power would come from a brand new 4.2-litre inline six good for 173 bhp. Aiming mostly at those foreign markets where high taxes were imposed on cars with large displacements, a 2.8-litre engine was also offered.

Sir William Lyons, founder and president of Jaguar, is credited with the XJ4 styling, as he personally oversaw the design of its body. On the outside, the XJ4 took most of its stylistic cues from the Mk.X, only as a lighter, elongated, updated package. The rear section, on the other hand, was inspired by the E-Type tail, with its end chopped off.

Finally named XJ6 in reference to its 6-cylinder engine (with V8 and V12 engines being scheduled, this would help for naming these variants when released), the new Jaguar saw its debut in September 1968. Though no road test was initially organized for the press, the company’s reputation and the word of mouth guaranteed a long waiting list to the XJ6. When journalists finally got their hands on the car, they praised what its first customers had found when they had taken delivery of theirs: excellent performance, good handling, and extraordinary comfort highlighted by almost complete quietness inside the passenger compartment. To make things even better the XJ6, continuing the long Jaguar tradition of offering the best car at the best price, was relatively cheap with regards to its competitors. On the long run though, XJ6 drivers would find that, as many other Jaguars, the construction quality of their cars left much to be desired.

In July 1972, Jaguar presented the XJ12, powered by a 5.3-litre V12. The V8 project had been axed shortly beforehand. Even more powerful and silent than the 6-cylinder block, the V12 was a bottomless pit when it came about fuel consumption. Nobody really cared in 1972, but less than one year and a half later…

Other variants added over time included a long-wheelbase saloon and a short-lived XJ-C coupe. Daimler, which was building a slightly more expensive XJ6 as the Sovereign, also added a XJ12 equivalent to its range, under the prestigious name Double Six. The look of the car also evolved. In September 1973, new American regulations induced a facelift, the front bumper, now too low to comply with U.S. rules, being set higher below a smaller grille.

When the oil crisis erupted in late 1973, a Jaguar customer had to wait for two years and a half before his or her vehicle could be delivered. Though the company never encountered much trouble with unsold cars during the rest of the Seventies, various adverse elements played against it during that time, apart from the crisis itself. Rife throughout Britain, social unrest limited productivity. Jaguar's new boss, Geoffrey Robinson, tried to increase the company's production in order to satisfy the demand, which affected quality even further. Even more disturbing was the fact that, virtually bankrupt, struggling British Leyland could not afford to finance a replacement for the XJ, which had to carry on for a few more years, while the company’s main rivals, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, were enjoying increasing shares of the luxury car market. Afraid at a complete collapse of BLMC, supported by taxpayers’ money, the British government commissioned Sir Don Ryder to present a report on the group’s future: one measure that followed the publication of this report in April 1975 was the creation of British Leyland Cars, within which all BLMC companies lost their autonomy – a disastrous development for Jaguar. Fortunately this reorganization would be abolished in early 1978.

In March 1979, Jaguar had succeeded in gathering enough resources – actually, most of what was left – to introduce a Series 3 of its XJ. The third incarnation of the car featured a new roofline, due to Pininfarina. The tasteful update was just what the car needed to extend its career long enough for a successor to be designed. Though paint finish problems marred the Series 3’s debut, sales were soon following an ascendant curve. The venerable automobile would remain basically untouched during its last years in production, the only major improvement the XJ12 received being, in late 1981, high-compression cylinder heads that boosted the output to 299 bhp. This improvement was due to a Swiss engineer named Michael May; history has not been good to him as he is also credited for fitting the very first air wing to his own Porsche spyder in the mid-Fifties, and driving in Formula One during the early Sixties: a rather busy life dedicated to automobile!

Though a new XJ40 was finally introduced in 1986, the old XJ6/12 was kept in production. The XJ6 lingered until the new car had been introduced to all foreign markets, finally retiring in May 1987. The 12-cylinder variant was to be built even longer, as an equivalent version for the XJ40, named XJ81, still wasn’t ready for production. The project was cancelled after American giant Ford purchased Jaguar in late 1989, allowing the XJ12 and its cousin the Double Six to remain on the market until 1992.

Over close to a quarter of a century in production, the Jaguar XJ had become one of the most iconic automobiles Britain ever produced. One of the most meaningful signs of its success is the simple fact that, as only few other models did, it survived British Leyland’s disintegration during the Seventies and Eighties.

About the model

Model: Jaguar XJ6
Year: 1968
Maker: Vanguards - Corgi
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Vanguards
Acquired: brand new, in January 2007, in Hong Kong, S.A.R.

An exceptional model throughout, particularly considering its price. From whatever angle you look at it, Vanguards' rendition of a first series XJ is beautiful. This would perhaps sounds even more credible if I'd confess that I've never been fond the real car! I'd easily give a 15/20 rating. Note that Vanguards also offers a Daimler Sovereign on the same base, fitted with a different radiator grille.