Editing Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 23/Episode 3

{{Infobox Episode
|episode = Episode 3
|image = [[File:TG_1977_S23E03_End_Card.jpg|300px]]A [[Jaguar XK120]].
|prodcode = NBMN308N
|number = 201
|length = 29:19
|previous = [[{{BASEPAGENAME}}/Episode 2|Series 23, Episode 2]]
|next = [[{{BASEPAGENAME}}/Episode 4|Series 23, Episode 4]]
|airdate = 10th April, 1990
}}

{{TG 1977 Episode|episodename=Series 23, Episode 3|airdate=10th April|year=1990|xth=third|series=[[Series 23]]|number=201st|number78=192nd|prognum=3rd|totprog=18|resolution=576i|aspratio=4:3 Standard|tvorstream=British television|channel=BBC Two}} {{TG 1977 Episode Starring 2|hosta=William Woollard|hostb=Tiff Needell}}

==Synopsis==
{{TG Intro|narrator=William Woollard}}
*A new family-sized hatchback from Yugoslavia.
*Last week solar power; this week other alternatives to petrol.
*And motor racing, with the mighty Austin 7.

This week, William Woollard is stood outside [[Jaguar]]'s Browns Lane plant in Coventry, along with an [[Jaguar E-Type|E-Type]]. Five months earlier, the sports and luxury car maker had been sold to [[Ford]] for £1.6 billion<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/03/business/ford-to-buy-jaguar-for-2.38-billion.html New York Times - Ford to Buy Jaguar For $2.38 Billion.]</ref> from its former owners British Leyland. To commemorate this landmark purchase, the episode will focus on the history that Ford has chosen to buy into, going over some of Jaguar's greatest hits.

===Early Days===
Jaguar was founded by William Lyons as the ''Swallow Sidecar''<ref>[https://www.britainbycar.co.uk/blackpool/533-swallow-sidecar-company Britain By Car - Swallow Sidecar Company.]</ref><ref>However, some sources seem to disagree, including a brochure shown in the episode, which infers "SS" instead stood for ''Standard Swallow''.</ref> company, or ''SS'' for short. Their [[SS One|first car]] entered production in 1931 on the running gear from a saloon originally produced by [[Standard Motor Company|Standard]], including the engine, which at just 53<ref>[https://www.ultimatecarpage.com/forum/showthread.php?39603-SS-1-1932-1936 Ultimatecarpage - SS 1 1932-1936.]</ref> brake horsepower, did not have enough power to Lyons' liking. To remedy this, Lyons appointed Bill Heynes<ref>[https://www.jaguarheritage.com/jaguar-history/jaguar-people/william-lyons/ Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust - William Lyons.]</ref> in order to strip down and re-engineer the Standard engines to produce more power. While developing subsequent models such as the [[SS Jaguar 100|SS100]], Heynes had the inspired idea of naming his cars after the Jaguar species of panther, as naming cars after animals was allegedly<ref>[https://www.smiths-instruments.co.uk/blog/jaguar-cars-originates-with-ss-jaguar-100#:~:text=The%20SS%20Jaguar%20100%20was%20released%20in%201936.,naming%20products%20in%20the%20thirties. Smiths Instruments - Jaguar Cars Legacy Starts with SS Jaguar 100]</ref> a popular practice at the time. The car was also capable of 100 MPH due to its light weight and high power-to-weight ratio, and thus the image of Jaguar was born, the company changing its name after the Second World War to avoid obvious Nazi connotations.

===The XK120, Jaguar in motorsport===
What was Jaguar's big break however came in 1948 with the [[Jaguar XK120|XK120]], a car originally intended<ref>[https://jec.org.uk/models/xk-sportscars/xk120 Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club - XK120.]</ref> as a concept for the [[British Motor Show/1948|1948]] motor show held at [[Earl's Court]]. However, demand was so great from both sides of the Atlantic that it had to be put into full-scale production. Lyons' swooping, striking exterior design coupled with Heynes' engineering prowess, such as the innovation of a double-overhead camshaft utilised in considerably more expensive, exotic sports cars, helped propel the XK120 to a great deal of success, including holding<ref>[https://sportscardigest.com/jaguar-xk-120/ Sports Car Digest - Jaguar XK120.]</ref> the record as the world's fastest production car. Quickly, the company was beginning to earn a reputation, and this would prompt the company to enter the world of motorsport. Three of the company's [[Jaguar C-Type|C-Type]]s were entered in the 1951 running of Le Mans, which saw the partnership of Peters Walker and Whitehead<ref>[https://prints.motorsportimages.com/motorsport/le-mans-1950/1951-le-mans-24-hours-winning-jaguar-c-type-8881284.html Motorsport Images - 1951 Le Mans 24 hours: The winning Jaguar C-type of Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead.]</ref> win out after their two team-mates retired from the gruelling event. It became the first British car to win at Le Mans since the 1930s, and helped to immortalise the brand and increase sales of their road cars. The C-Type would be replaced by the [[Jaguar D-Type|D-Type]], which went on to win three consecutive runnings of Le Mans from 1955 through to 1957, dominating the latter by making up 5<ref>[https://www.exoto.com/s/1/ProductDetails.aspx?Language=en&ProductId=2849 Exoto - 1954-57 EXOTO JAGUAR D-TYPE 'SHORT NOSE'.]</ref> of the top 6 finishers.

===Subsequent road cars===
Buoyed by this success, Jaguar turned its attention towards luxury cars at the dawn of the 1950s, first building the Mark VII, of which a particular example shown to camera by Woollard was built<ref>[https://www.jaguarheritage.com/car/1955-jaguar-mark-vii-m-saloon/ Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust - 1955 Jaguar Mark VII M Saloon HM Queen Mother's Car 464 HYV.]</ref> for the Queen Mother, and featured novel concepts such as a single piece windscreen which appeared on later models as standard. This car used the same engine as the XK120, and served as the basis for Jaguar's subsequent smaller luxury car, the 2.4, which launched in 1956 in a more widespread production run. The 2.4 sold well but had a glaring design fault<ref>Robson, G. (2006) ''A-Z British Cars 1945-1980''. Devon, UK: Herridge & Sons.</ref> in the car's track width, which is believed to have caused the car to understeer while in tight bends. The car was revised in 1959 as the [[Jaguar Mark II|Mark II]], which rectified this issue, along with a stiffer chassis, redesigned exterior and disc brakes, which were uncommon<ref>[http://www.fossewayperformance.co.uk/jaguar-mk2-brake-upgrades/ Fosseway Performance - Jaguar Mk2 Brake Upgrades.]</ref> for a saloon car at the time of the car's launch. The Mark II then proceeded to dominate British Saloon Car racing, and set the stage for Jaguar's greatest hit.

===Later road cars===
Introduced to the world as a lightweight racing-influenced concept<ref>[https://www.jaguarheritage.com/jaguar-history/jaguar-engineering/e2a/ Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust - The Story of the E2A.]</ref> intended to build upon the legacy of the D-Type now that Jaguar had officially<ref>Jaguar's final Le Mans entry was 1955, owing to the terrible accident which occurred that year, the company not returning until 1987. The D-Type continued to race as privateers with occasional factory backing.</ref> pulled out of Le Mans, the Jaguar E2A would end up eclipsed by its full-production adaptation, the [[Jaguar E-Type|E-Type]], which became the car of its decade and outsold its much more expensive, exclusive competition in spite of its mechanical foibles. The E-Type would then be followed by what many contemporary felt was the marque's finest car yet; the [[Jaguar XJ6|XJ6]]. Entering development in 1964<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/xj6-xj12/the-cars-jaguar-xj6xj12/ AROnline - The cars: Jaguar XJ6/XJ12 development story: "According to senior Jaguar engineer Bob Knight, the styling of the XJ4 had been finalised around 1964/65..."]</ref>, the car was finalised and revealed to the public four years later. The XJ6 then remained in production for over twenty years until it was finally replaced by the [[Jaguar XJ40|XJ40]] in 1986, largely because Jaguar had been absorbed<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/ AROnline - Jaguar.]</ref> into [[British Leyland]] during the XJ6's development, where it frequently found itself starved of the necessary cash it needed to fund the development of potential successors.

===Independence and purchase by Ford===
Under the leadership of John Egan, Jaguar entered privatisation and could begin developing new cars again, as well as fund a motorsport programme which became highly successful, winning multiple installments of the 24 Hour endurance races at Le Mans and Daytona, which its XJR-X series of race cars competed in. Upon its purchase by Ford, Jim Randle reports that Ford are going to be "extremely careful" with the way they handle Jaguar as opposed to its prior treatment by British Leyland. At the moment, Ford have only given the company the required financial support to modernise its assembly lines, with Randle stating that Jaguar's future aims are to build a car capable of competing against the [[BMW 5-Series]], which it would later go on to do with the [[Jaguar S-Type|S-Type]], launched at the end of 1998. However, for the time being, there are concerns that the Browns Lane plant will have to be shut down in order to meet production numbers that its major rivals are capable of, opines John Grant<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-grant-a858327/?originalSubdomain=uk LinkedIn - John Grant.]</ref>, the then-current chairman of the company.

==References==
<references/>

==Navigation==
{{TG 1977 S23}}
@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ===Later road cars===
-Introduced to the world as a lightweight racing-influenced concept<ref>[https://www.jaguarheritage.com/jaguar-history/jaguar-engineering/e2a/ Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust - The Story of the E2A.]</ref> intended to build upon the legacy of the D-Type now that Jaguar had officially<ref>Jaguar's final Le Mans entry was 1955, owing to the terrible accident which occurred that year, the company not returning until 1987. The D-Type continued to race as privateers with occasional factory backing.</ref> pulled out of Le Mans, the Jaguar E2A would end up eclipsed by its full-production adaptation, the [[Jaguar E-Type|E-Type]], which became the car of its decade and outsold its much more expensive, exclusive competition in spite of its mechanical foibles. The E-Type would then be followed by what many contemporary critics felt was the marque's finest car yet; the [[Jaguar XJ6|XJ6]]. Entering development in 1964<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/xj6-xj12/the-cars-jaguar-xj6xj12/ AROnline - The cars: Jaguar XJ6/XJ12 development story: "According to senior Jaguar engineer Bob Knight, the styling of the XJ4 had been finalised around 1964/65..."]</ref>, the car was finalised and revealed to the public four years later. The XJ6 then remained in production for over twenty years until it was finally replaced by the [[Jaguar XJ40|XJ40]] in 1986, largely because Jaguar had been absorbed<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/ AROnline - Jaguar.]</ref> into [[British Leyland]] during the XJ6's development, where it frequently found itself starved of the necessary cash it needed to fund the development of potential successors.
+Introduced to the world as a lightweight racing-influenced concept<ref>[https://www.jaguarheritage.com/jaguar-history/jaguar-engineering/e2a/ Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust - The Story of the E2A.]</ref> intended to build upon the legacy of the D-Type now that Jaguar had officially<ref>Jaguar's final Le Mans entry was 1955, owing to the terrible accident which occurred that year, the company not returning until 1987. The D-Type continued to race as privateers with occasional factory backing.</ref> pulled out of Le Mans, the Jaguar E2A would end up eclipsed by its full-production adaptation, the [[Jaguar E-Type|E-Type]], which became the car of its decade and outsold its much more expensive, exclusive competition in spite of its mechanical foibles. The E-Type would then be followed by what many contemporary felt was the marque's finest car yet; the [[Jaguar XJ6|XJ6]]. Entering development in 1964<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/xj6-xj12/the-cars-jaguar-xj6xj12/ AROnline - The cars: Jaguar XJ6/XJ12 development story: "According to senior Jaguar engineer Bob Knight, the styling of the XJ4 had been finalised around 1964/65..."]</ref>, the car was finalised and revealed to the public four years later. The XJ6 then remained in production for over twenty years until it was finally replaced by the [[Jaguar XJ40|XJ40]] in 1986, largely because Jaguar had been absorbed<ref>[https://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/jaguar/ AROnline - Jaguar.]</ref> into [[British Leyland]] during the XJ6's development, where it frequently found itself starved of the necessary cash it needed to fund the development of potential successors.
 ===Independence and purchase by Ford===
 Under the leadership of John Egan, Jaguar entered privatisation and could begin developing new cars again, as well as fund a motorsport programme which became highly successful, winning multiple installments of the 24 Hour endurance races at Le Mans and Daytona, which its XJR-X series of race cars competed in. Upon its purchase by Ford, Jim Randle reports that Ford are going to be "extremely careful" with the way they handle Jaguar as opposed to its prior treatment by British Leyland. At the moment, Ford have only given the company the required financial support to modernise its assembly lines, with Randle stating that Jaguar's future aims are to build a car capable of competing against the [[BMW 5-Series]], which it would later go on to do with the [[Jaguar S-Type|S-Type]], launched at the end of 1998. However, for the time being, there are concerns that the Browns Lane plant will have to be shut down in order to meet production numbers that its major rivals are capable of, opines John Grant<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-grant-a858327/?originalSubdomain=uk LinkedIn - John Grant.]</ref>, the then-current chairman of the company.
-==Soundtrack==
-{{Soundtrack}}
-{{Song|artist=The Allman Brothers Band|songpage=Jessica (instrumental)|songname=Jessica|playswhen=Plays during the title sequence.}}
-{{Song|artist=The Fairer Sax|songpage=|songname=It Don't Mean A Thing|playswhen=Plays during the introduction to the Jaguar segment.}}
-{{Song|artist=Elton John|songpage=Out of the Blue (instrumental)|songname=Out of the Blue|playswhen=Plays during the closing sequence.}}
-{{Song Unidentified|number=3|songorofthesongs=songs|adlib=One plays as part of stock footage from Jaguar, whereas the other two play at various points during the concluding film.}}
 ==References==