Jaguar World Magazine No.153 Final XK Back Issue

What an upheaval the move from Blackpool to Foleshill must have been for the
young William Lyons and the few Swallow Coachbuilding staff that followed him.
Arriving on a cold, November weekend, one of Lyons’ workers described his first
view of the West Midlands as cold and murky. Not a great start. Yet Lyons knew if he
was to grow his business he’d have to leave his native Blackpool – the seaside town
isn’t known for its coach-building skills. It’s fair to say that without heading south his
company might not have survived, becoming a mere footnote in the history of British
car manufacturing. It also started an association with the area that lasts to this day.
Lyons’ next factory was the famous Browns Lane plant at Allesley, just three miles
from Coventry’s city centre. This was sold as part of Ford’s cost-cutting exercise in
the mid-2000s, but Jaguar’s cars are still produced nearby, both at Castle Bromwich
and Solihull, where the XE is to be made. Jaguar’s head office and technical centre
remains at Whitley, a stone’s throw
from Browns Lane. More importantly,
JLR’s new engine facility, Jaguar’s
first brand-new factory (the rest were
converted from existing buildings)
is up the road at Wolverhampton,
securing the company’s presence in
the area for the foreseeable future.
But then it needs to. Jaguar’s
image is as much to do with the
West Midlands, the UK’s centre of
automotive excellence, as Ferrari is
with Maranello. It’s part of its charm,
its history and its culture. Yes, XFs are now being built in India (but from knockeddown
kits produced at Castle Bromwich) and JLR has just opened a factory in China
(which it needs if it’s to conquer this enormous market), but Jaguar knows where its
home is.