The Genealogy of the Cat

Even for those who have never owned a British luxury car, Jaguars, or Cats, asthey’re affectionately called, have a certain mystique. Their proud heritage tracesback to humble beginnings in the northern seaside town of Blackpool, England.

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by Stanley Murray

Perhaps more than any other marque, Jaguar automobiles have a love-hate relationship with the automotive public. Like their provocative styling, the very presence of a Jaguar instantly evokes either passion or contempt. Current owners of Jags, or Cats, as they’re affectionately called, wouldn’t think of driving anything else. Previous owners, however, have less positive things to say. They’ve been known to refer to their former car as ‘the prince of Darkness’ (because of problems with their electrical systems during the ’70s and ’80s), or to claim that the only way they’d ever own a Jaguar again would be to buy two, so one could be on the road while the other was in for repair.

Yet, regardless of where one’s feelings about Jaguar Cars lie, few are familiar with their proud heritage, and hopefully, promising future.

Jaguar Cars Limited, the maker of Jaguars, traces its humble beginnings to the northern seaside town of Blackpool, in England. There, in September of 1922, a 21-year-old motorcycle enthusiast, Bill Lyons, met up with William Walmsey. Walmsley was constructing a sleek sidecar that he planned to attach to reconditioned motorcycles. In no time, the two young men joined forces, and with a bank overdraft of 10,000 pounds, formed the Swallow Sidecar Company.

As would be the case for more than the next three-quarters of a century, Swallow, and eventually Jaguar, set new standards for design excellence and innovative technology. Typical of their forward thinking was the pioneering use of aluminium in the production of sidecars.

The fledgling company’s next step came in 1927 when they introduced a streamlined two-seater body called The Swallow. It was mounted on the popular Austin Seven chassis, giving the otherwise nondescript little car a rakish appearance. A Swallow body soon followed for the larger Morris Cowley chassis, and then another for the Austin Seven Swallow Saloon late in 1928.

With the burgeoning sales of cars and sidecars, Swallow quickly outgrew its Blackpool shop and moved on to Coventry, in the Midlands, already the heart of the British motor industry.

At the 1929 London Motor Show, three new Swallow models appeared for the first time. They were based on the Fiat Tipo 509A, the Swift Ten, and Standard Big Nine. Looking back, it’s apparent that the Standard was the most significant of the three, since its acceptance led to Swallow versions of the larger Standard Enfield in 1931, and eventually the sporty Swallow versions of the Wolsey Hornet and Hornet Special chassis. The ‘Cat’ was about to be born, but surprisingly, not as a Jaguar.

It would be called the ‘SS’, the first of Swallow’s own line of high-performance cars. First introduced at the London Auto Show in 1931, the car had a chassis built to Swallow’s specifications by the Standard Motor Company, and powered by Standard’s engines. It was heralded as ‘a new car that’s going to thrill the hearts of the motoring public and the trade alike. It’s something utterly new, different, and better!’

The ‘SS’ cars came in two versions, the SSI and SSII Coupes. Their bodies were ultra-low and had outrageously long bonnets. This was accomplished by moving the engine further back in the chassis than was the normal practice at the time, and by mounting the road springs alongside. Other models soon followed, including one with a larger engine, a saloon, a touring sedan, and the unique four-light saloon, which, though less flamboyant, was more practical; its four windows allowed the rear seat passengers to see outside.

Although outwardly Swallow prospered, internally it suffered from leadership problems. Co-founder William Walmsey did not share Lyons’s ambition and lost interest in the venture. As a result, he severed his connections with the company in late 1934.

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