PAYING RESPECTS

THERE ARE few automobile manufacturers today who remain closely linked to their founders. Enzo Ferrari, his company still bearing his name, is obviously one, and so is Ferdinand Porsche, thanks to his engineering prowess. Yet neither is as associated to their former firms as much as the man who single mindedly ruled his company for five decades and personally designed some of its most iconic models. Even now, 36 years after his passing, Sir William Lyons remains Jaguar’s unofficial figurehead.

This continuing relationship between man and company was beautifully illustrated when, in 2001, Jaguar named a pair of limited edition models after the 100th anniversary of his birth. Could you imagine the usually unsentimental Mercedes-Benz doing so for Karl Benz? Or BMW for Karl Rapp?

Yet the supercharged XKR and XJR 100 did more than just honour the company’s founder – thanks to their improved performance and more aggressive appearance, they laid down a marker that Jaguar was ready to take