28 December 2024 | General News
The debut of the XJ-S marked an important moment in Jaguar history, with the final E-Type having been produced as early as June 1974. Fifteen months without having a sporting model in production wasn’t ideal for Jaguar, and what finally arrived in ’75 was controversial in both its styling and its lack of a convertible option. But the XJ-S was a slow burner, and via steady improvements and the addition of new derivatives by the 1980s, it went on to be a long-term success for the marque – with the very last example rolling off the line in April 1996.
Another anniversary worth celebrating in 2025 will be 70 years of what we now know as the Jaguar Mk1, launched in September 1955 as the 2.4 Litre and joined in early ’57 by the bigger-capacity 3.4 Litre. The Mk1 brought the concept of a compact Jaguar saloon bang up to date, with modern styling, strong performance and impressive handling. And it went on to be a big hit, with more than 37,000 examples finding buyers during its four-year career, paving the way for the 1959 Mk1-derived Mk2.
Other important anniversaries coming up include 75 years of the opulent and stylish Jaguar MkVII, which took a bow in 1950 and remained in production for six years. And 2025 also marks the 50th birthday of the two-door Jaguar XJ coupe, which finally went into production in 1975 despite being previewed almost two years earlier as part of the XJK’s Series II upgrades. Bringing things rather more up to date, meanwhile, will be the 10th anniversaries of both the compact-executive XE and the second-generation XF saloon ranges.
Finally, let’s not forget that 2025 marks 80 years since the creation of Jaguar Cars itself, with the new name replacing the previous SS Cars set-up in 1945. Although Jaguar was used as a model name as early as 1935, it became the official moniker of the whole company with the cessation of World War II. So, while your favourite model of Jaguar might not have an important anniversary coming up in 2025, we can all celebrate the fact that the marque still exists after 80 years… even if production is ‘paused’ during Jaguar’s current reinvention process.
