Jaguar Cars (inc. SS)

Hello Chaingang looks like a good clip I am trying to d/l to watch later as I think I know the guide at the start of the clip will get back SAP. Apprentices were quite often used as guides it was very good PR training.

Have determined the young man at the start of the video as Dave ******* I have found an old pic of Dave and Barry Wood in the Experimental dept all three of us were Apprentices together. Dave on right. Just a word about the 'E' Type bonnet referred to by Steve Morley it was made of Aluminium not steel that would have defeated the purpose of a lightweight sports car. I don't know what the seam is that was allegedly filled with lead ? but it never happened, both doors, boot lid and bonnet were fully adjustable at the hinges. "Filled with lead" to my recollection the last cars to have this applied were the MK VII, MKVIII, MK IX, XK120 through to the 150. this was known as "Lead Loading" it was necessary because the front Wings (Guards) could not be pressed in one piece, the head and side light bodies had to be pressed separately and spot welded on later, this left the Wing in a pretty rough looking state so lead loading was the only way at the time to bring the whole finished wing up to Jaguar standards.

So Jaguar is returning to England would there be any chance of it coming to Coventry?

Pictures Jag Browns Lane Coventry Telegraph By the way Mich they must have heard you, the answer is yes it's coming back to Coventry.

Thanks morgana and I apologise for the delay in answering, is there any way of getting email notification of posts made to a subscribed thread?? The pic via your link were great and brought back many memories but apart from Sir Bill I did not recognise any people. Here is an old pic of my XK150 after restoration.

I worked at Dunlop (later Meggitt) for a total of 44 years from 1967-1978 and again from 1980-2013. In August of 2012 the Jaguar owners club (I believe) organised a pageant of vehicles which toured sites around England associated with the famous Marque. The pageant of cars drove up Swallow Drive from Holbrook Lane to Beake Avenue & then on the the next visit. I took many photographs that day and have loaded them into a Gallery (Derrickarthur) in the Member's Gallery.

Here are photos of an SS Jaguar (taken early to mid 1980's) in Swallow Drive in front of the original Swallow Sidecar double doors which became somewhat of a pilgrimage place for Jaguar enthusiasts. The building has now been demolished but the doors were saved & donated to Jaguar Heritage

I'm not really a car person but that SS Jag is a beauty. My dad worked at Swallow when he was a youngster. Does anyone know where I can find information on Swallow Sidecars.

The Swallow Sidecar Company actually originated in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1922 by local men William Lyons and William Walmsley. Here they manufactured motorcycle sidecars, and later produced their first Austin Seven Swallow car. The company moved to Coventry in 1928 and took over part of the wooden-floored former White and Poppe munitions works along a track, later to become Swallow Road off Holbrook Lane, Foleshill. Disused since the Great War, two of the four factory blocks were up for sale, and initially Lyons leased one of them, it being five times the size of his operation in Blackpool, along with an option to buy both blocks later. In the event the company which became SS Cars Ltd and later Jaguar Cars Ltd, stayed there until 1951 when it moved to the old Daimler shadow factory at Browns Lane. William Lyons was knighted for services to industry in 1956, and William Walmsley who by now had left the company became involved in the Airlite Trailer and Coventry Steel Caravan companies on Clay Lane, which produced some iconic products designed by company head Clifford Dawtrey, who had also worked for Jaguar! Sir William Lyons remained in the Midlands until his death in Leamington Spa in 1985 but William Walmsley ultimately returned to the North West and died in 1961 in Poulton-le-Fylde, only a few miles from the Swallow Sidecar Company premises where it all began. Attached are photographs I took of the original Swallow Sidecar Company premises (which occupied the top two floors) at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool.

Lord and Lady Lyons - were they the couple who owned a gold plated Jag' back in the 50s?

I think you may be thinking of Sir Bernard and Lady Docker - and the car was a Daimler

Just one of my photos from the Jaguar Drivers' Club National Day yesterday at Wroxall Abbey - delightful to see such wonderful cars. This is 1954 Jaguar XK120 Roadster - click on the image to see my full gallery of images** (** click the thumbnails or "slideshow")

Thanks again for uploading your photos for us all to look at we do appreciate them wherever you go plus it's nice and easy with them being on a slideshow

My father-in-law worked at the Radford Jaguar plant from just after WW2 until his retirement in the eighties. After he passed away we found this tankard in a very old plastic back at the back of a cupboard We'd never seen it before and was wondering how and when he had got it. Were they given out to staff as part of a long service award ? There's no dedication on it, all it has on the bottom is a Beefeater and the words "English Pewter" and "Made in Sheffield England" Any ideas?

There's another one on ebay, though it's in New Jersey.