The 1980s were challenging times for Jaguar’s new boss Sir John Egan. When he took over the reins at a still independent Jaguar in April 1980, the company was seriously underperforming and the quality of the finished product was at an all-time low. Under the new CEO’s direction Jaguar quickly started to tackle these issues but a bomb was about to land on Egan’s desk. In late 1989 the Ford Motor Company narrowly beat General Motors to the wire when it completed the purchase of Jaguar Cars for £1.6 billion with a promise that it would ‘build on Jaguar’s strengths and expand sales in Europe and the US’.
Despite all the corporate hype, the management at Ford were still reeling from the high price they’d had to pay for the Coventry-based car luxury maker. To justify the sale, Egan, brilliantly summed up his company’s worth by explaining to ‘Red’ Poling, the new boss at Ford, how Jaguar was made up of $500 million of ‘sausage’ and $2 billion of ‘sizzle’! Sir John’s eloquently put metaphor translated into Jaguar’s plant and equipment being the ‘sausage’, while the ‘sizzle’ element represented the iconic carmaker’s heritage.
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Denne historien er fra January 2020-utgaven av Classic Car Mart.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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3D Technology To Preserve Classics?
Traditionally, the unavailability of a critical component has had major repercussions for owners of historic vehicles, putting the brakes on a restoration project or even forcing a historic vehicle off the road.
UPCYCLING
Two British-made modern classics which made credible sporting saloons despite their unlikely origins.
NICHE WORK
A crossover model before the term had even been invented, the original Range Rover could well be the perfect multi-purpose classic.
CLASSIC REVIVAL
Fancy an MGB without the welding and SUs? The much modernised RV8 should fit the bill.
1980s FLEET FAVOURITES
We profile a line-up of popular mid-sized '80s company cars ranging from the ubiquitous Sierra and Cavalier repmobiles through to the king of the company car park, the BMW 3-Series.
Solid State
Although a well-preserved Volvo 120 Series ‘Amazon’ makes a good choice as an occasional everyday classic driver, the range can be confusing. We play the numbers game and reveal some of the Amazon’s main foibles.
Round-Up - 1990s Jaguars
Following Ford’s acquisition of an independent Jaguar in 1989, the Coventry-based luxury car maker underwent a transformation that led to the introduction of a range of capable models that today are reasonably affordable as well as being fun to own and drive.
Myth And Rumour
The Stag may have suffered a poor reputation when new, but in the 21st century it’s one of Britain’s most popular classics – and justifiably so. We take a look at the pros and cons of investing in Triumph’s sporting flagship.
The Full English
An English-built Citroën meets English wine as we enter a slightly bizarre parallel universe.
Tailgate Revolving Doors
Paul Guinness looks back at his experiences from 35 years ago, when he helped to arrange a club stand at the first-ever Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC
