Le Mans was also the time for nostalgic celebration. It was the fortieth anniversary of Jaguar´s first victory there in 1951 with the legendary XK C-type. To commemorate the occasion a cavalcade of 20 original C-types drove from Browns Lane to Le Mans and completed three spectacular demonstration laps of the famous circuit prior to the start of the actual race.

Another Jaguar celebrating its anniversary that year was the E-type, which had been launched 30 years before at the Geneva motor show. The Jaguar marque clubs joined forces to hold a massive festival at the Donington Park race circuit which brought together over 1,000 E-types from around the world. The gathering included 77RW, the first production roadster and HDU 555N, the very last V12 roadster.

Having made its public debut as a concept car at the 1988 Motor Show the sensational XJ220 became a production reality during 1991. JaguarSport created a purpose built factory at Bloxham near Oxford for a limited production run of 350 cars. Even with a price tag of £400,000, options to purchase the 200 mph mid engined supercar were heavily over-subscribed. Following an intensive test and development programme final assembly began in early 1992 with the first cars being delivered in July.

Although no actual new mainstream production models were introduced during this period, there were many exciting new developments to enhance the product range. The most significant came in May 1991 with a substantial face-lift to the XJS range. The new cars incorporated body styling changes, a redesigned interior, improved feature and equipment levels and the adoption of the AJ6 4.0 litre engine in place of the 3.6 litre version in the six cylinder coup?

The styling changes were significant in scope yet subtle in character. Nearly 40% of the car´s body panels were changed, including the boot, rear wings, doors, sills and coup?oof. The aim was to give a smoother and more contemporary look to the XJS whilst preserving the essential and enduring qualities of the original design. The result was a tremendous success with both the motoring press and the public alike providing much needed new interest in the product.

The following year the XJS range was further extended with the introduction of the 4.0 litre Convertible. The new model featured a driver´s-side airbag, making Jaguar the first UK company to offer this facility, and the fitment of a stainless steel strut assembly under the front end of the car increasing torsional rigidity of the body shell by 25%.

Chairman and Chief Executive William J Hayden CBE, retired from the company at the end of March 1992. He was succeeded by Nick Scheele, who came to Jaguar at the beginning of the year as Vice Chairman. Bill´s extensive manufacturing experience enabled Jaguar to make significant quality and efficiency improvements during his two years at the helm and he handed over a much sounder company.

When the company celebrated it´s seventieth birthday in September that year Nick Scheele made it clear that Jaguar would continue to build on its strengths, "Sir William Lyons believed in providing his customers with distinctive, exciting products which offered world class performance, ride and handling at a value for money price. These qualities are still at the heart of the company today. Our aim for the future is to remain true to that tradition and produce new products which are unmistakably Jaguar and are worthy of their heritage."

At the end of 1992 a new range of Jaguars were launched called ´Insignia´. This bespoke service provided customers with the opportunity to make their Jaguars more individual and distinctive. Insignia was available on Jaguar and Daimler saloons and on XJS. Ten special exterior colours were available, together with interiors trimmed in a unique range of matching hides and stained wood veneer finishes.

November saw the end of the line for two classic models, the Series III and the Daimler Limousine. The completion of the last Series III saloon brought to a close one of the longest chapters in Jaguar history - a production run that spanned 24 years and over 400,000 cars, which began with the XJ6 back in 1968. There were few cars that could compare with the majesty of the Daimler Limousine, sadly when the last car left the ´Limo´ shop at Browns Lane it ended a production run of 4,116 finished cars plus an additional 927 drive-away chassis which had began in April 1968.

Although during 1993 there were no entirely new products launched, the company did put a lot of resource into improving and extending the current range. A new V12 saloon was the first addition to be announced. The new Jaguar XJ12 and Daimler Double Six featured a more powerful, refined and economical 6.0 litre version of the V12 engine providing 318 BHP and a new 4-speed electronic automatic transmission.

Jaguar then announced extended wheelbase versions of the Jaguar Sovereign and Daimler saloons called Majestic. The Majestic saloons incorporated a 125 mm ´stretch´ behind the centre pillar or ´b´ post of the standard car, which provided a significant increase in rear legroom. Rear passenger headroom was also increased with a raised and redesigned roof.

The final additions to the saloon range were the XJ6 3.2S and 4.0S. These new cars were aimed at the younger driving enthusiast who requires a tauter handling car, a more sporty exterior and interior design, as well as a high level of equipment at a value for money price. These cars also featured the additional standard fitment of both driver and passenger airbags. Jaguar´s developments in the area of occupant protection earned the XJ6 the title of ´The Safest Car In Britain´ in a study carried out by the Department of Transport.

The XJS range underwent significant changes in specification to strengthen its appeal and competitiveness. The main changes were the installation of the new 6.0 litre V12 engine, which provided startling improvements in performance, the 4-speed automatic transmission was also available on V12 models, the introduction of a 2+2 Convertible model and the fitment of new moulded bumpers and cast alloy wheels to give both coup?nd convertible a more contemporary appearance. During August 1993 Jaguar installed a new, £8.5 million, assembly line at the Browns Lane Plant. The new overhead mounted, doors off, single track assembly line replaced the former twin track saloon car production line which had been installed thirty years previous. The new state-of-the-art facility was installed in just 21 days and provided a further boost to quality control and efficiency at Browns Lane as well as a much better working environment for the employees.

Jaguar´s engine plat at Radford was also demonstrating its commitment to quality improvement, becoming the first Jaguar plant to receive the coveted Ford Quality Standard - Q1. By the end of the year all three of Jaguar´s assembly plants had gained registration to BS5750 and early in 1994 both Browns Lane and Castle Bromwich also achieved Q1.

In a constantly changing world Jaguar is always looking for opportunities to capitalise on new markets. During 1993 Jaguars went on sale in Russia and many of the new Eastern Block countries. In October, Nick Scheele signed an agreement with Inchcape Pacific as Jaguar´s distributor for the whole of China, a country with tremendous opportunity for economic growth.

Jaguar also made another appearance at Le Mans in 1993 with a team of three specially prepared XJ220C´s which competed in the new Grand Touring class. A month earlier the XJ220C had a dream debut at Silverstone when Win Percy won the BRDC National Sports GT Challenge race with ease. Things were a little tougher at Le Mans and by the early hours of Sunday morning only one Jaguar was left running. There was further drama when the remaining Jaguar of John Nielsen, David Brabham and David Coulthard lost 73 minutes as a result of a fuel leak. However once fixed the XJ220 steadily overhauled Jurgen Barth´s Porsche to regain the GT lead and take the chequered flag. The final irony of the race occurred several weeks later when the winning Jaguar was disqualified for an alleged technical infringement.

The new XJ Series made its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 1994 and the launch of the new car dominated the year for Jaguar. The launch was even more remarkable as for the first time the company launched a new car, built to world class quality standards, simultaneously in every one of its markets around the globe.

One of the ways in which Ford committed themselves to continue to build on Jaguar´s heritage was by continuing the Coventry firm´s participation in motor sport. The 1990 racing season could not have started better. Two XJR-12´s were entered for the famous 24-hour Florida classic at Daytona. At the finish the leading Jaguar, driven by US star Davy Jones, Jan Lammers and Andy Wallace, was four laps ahead of the second Jaguar which in turn was five laps up on the third placed Porsche. It was a superb victory and the first time for over 20 years that a team had finished in the top two positions.

With an encouraging victory at Silverstone, the Jaguar racing team went to Le Mans in confident mood. Four of the V12-engined long distance XJR-12´s were entered against a strong field including 19 Porsches and 7 Nissans. Jaguar´s Team Management though was quite content to let the turbo-charged cars fight it out at the front in the early stages. The Nissans made the early running but gradually the faster cars destroyed themselves and the Jaguars moved up to take the lead.

In the last hour the leading Jaguar held a one lap advantage and it looked as though they were going to finish in first and third positions when drama struck with just 15 minutes to go. The fastest Porsche had the misfortune to blow up it´s engine and so the Jaguars completed a memorable first and second at the world´s most famous long distance race. It was the fortieth anniversary of the first appearance of Jaguar XK 120s at Le Mans and the company´s seventh victory.

The worldwide economic decline during 1990, which resulted in tougher market conditions particularly in the luxury car sector, meant reduced Jaguar sales in many markets. Despite the decline, however, the company did establish record sales in Germany, Italy and Japan during the year.

Towards the end of 1990, a new hourly paid working agreement was reached, in which a versatility payment was included in return for new included in return for new working practice, aimed at eliminating constraints on efficiency.

Early in 1991 the workforce were also told, through a series of presentations, of future plans for the company during the final decade of the twentieth century. These plans had to address the immediate problems created by the continuing economic recession as well as providing the foundation for the long term future. The objectives were centred on three fundamental issues; continual improvement of product quality, increased manufacturing efficiency and the development and implementation of an exciting new model programme.

With sales showing no signs of recovery Jaguar was facing a critical situation. It would require a dramatic reduction in headcount to make the company more efficient and guarantee its survival. During 1991 early retirement and voluntary redundancy programmes were introduced which, by the end of the year, had reduced the workforce by a third; the total headcount was down to 8,000 employees.

It was a period of great change that was however, not without its bright moments. Jaguar regained the Worlds Sports Car Championship with the revolutionary XJR-14 totally dominating the series which included the Le Mans 24-hour race in its calendar. Despite narrowly missing out on victory in this race, Jaguar recorded one of its greatest Le Mans results in 1991 with three V12 engined XJR-12´s finishing second, third and fourth.

Le Mans was also the time for nostalgic celebration. It was the fortieth anniversary of Jaguar´s first victory there in 1951 with the legendary XK C-type. To commemorate the occasion a cavalcade of 20 original C-types drove from Browns Lane to Le Mans and completed three spectacular demonstration laps of the famous circuit prior to the start of the actual race.

Another Jaguar celebrating its anniversary that year was the E-type, which had been launched 30 years before at the Geneva motor show. The Jaguar marque clubs joined forces to hold a massive festival at the Donington Park race circuit which brought together over 1,000 E-types from around the world. The gathering included 77RW, the first production roadster and HDU 555N, the very last V12 roadster.

Having made its public debut as a concept car at the 1988 Motor Show the sensational XJ220 became a production reality during 1991. JaguarSport created a purpose built factory at Bloxham near Oxford for a limited production run of 350 cars. Even with a price tag of £400,000, options to purchase the 200 mph mid engined supercar were heavily over-subscribed. Following an intensive test and development programme final assembly began in early 1992 with the first cars being delivered in July.

Although no actual new mainstream production models were introduced during this period, there were many exciting new developments to enhance the product range. The most significant came in May 1991 with a substantial face-lift to the XJS range. The new cars incorporated body styling changes, a redesigned interior, improved feature and equipment levels and the adoption of the AJ6 4.0 litre engine in place of the 3.6 litre version in the six cylinder coup?

The styling changes were significant in scope yet subtle in character. Nearly 40% of the car´s body panels were changed, including the boot, rear wings, doors, sills and coup?oof. The aim was to give a smoother and more contemporary look to the XJS whilst preserving the essential and enduring qualities of the original design. The result was a tremendous success with both the motoring press and the public alike providing much needed new interest in the product.

The following year the XJS range was further extended with the introduction of the 4.0 litre Convertible. The new model featured a driver´s-side airbag, making Jaguar the first UK company to offer this facility, and the fitment of a stainless steel strut assembly under the front end of the car increasing torsional rigidity of the body shell by 25%.

Chairman and Chief Executive William J Hayden CBE, retired from the company at the end of March 1992. He was succeeded by Nick Scheele, who came to Jaguar at the beginning of the year as Vice Chairman. Bill´s extensive manufacturing experience enabled Jaguar to make significant quality and efficiency improvements during his two years at the helm and he handed over a much sounder company.

When the company celebrated it´s seventieth birthday in September that year Nick Scheele made it clear that Jaguar would continue to build on its strengths, "Sir William Lyons believed in providing his customers with distinctive, exciting products which offered world class performance, ride and handling at a value for money price. These qualities are still at the heart of the company today. Our aim for the future is to remain true to that tradition and produce new products which are unmistakably Jaguar and are worthy of their heritage."

At the end of 1992 a new range of Jaguars were launched called ´Insignia´. This bespoke service provided customers with the opportunity to make their Jaguars more individual and distinctive. Insignia was available on Jaguar and Daimler saloons and on XJS. Ten special exterior colours were available, together with interiors trimmed in a unique range of matching hides and stained wood veneer finishes.

November saw the end of the line for two classic models, the Series III and the Daimler Limousine. The completion of the last Series III saloon brought to a close one of the longest chapters in Jaguar history - a production run that spanned 24 years and over 400,000 cars, which began with the XJ6 back in 1968. There were few cars that could compare with the majesty of the Daimler Limousine, sadly when the last car left the ´Limo´ shop at Browns Lane it ended a production run of 4,116 finished cars plus an additional 927 drive-away chassis which had began in April 1968.

Although during 1993 there were no entirely new products launched, the company did put a lot of resource into improving and extending the current range. A new V12 saloon was the first addition to be announced. The new Jaguar XJ12 and Daimler Double Six featured a more powerful, refined and economical 6.0 litre version of the V12 engine providing 318 BHP and a new 4-speed electronic automatic transmission.

Jaguar then announced extended wheelbase versions of the Jaguar Sovereign and Daimler saloons called Majestic. The Majestic saloons incorporated a 125 mm ´stretch´ behind the centre pillar or ´b´ post of the standard car, which provided a significant increase in rear legroom. Rear passenger headroom was also increased with a raised and redesigned roof.

The final additions to the saloon range were the XJ6 3.2S and 4.0S. These new cars were aimed at the younger driving enthusiast who requires a tauter handling car, a more sporty exterior and interior design, as well as a high level of equipment at a value for money price. These cars also featured the additional standard fitment of both driver and passenger airbags. Jaguar´s developments in the area of occupant protection earned the XJ6 the title of ´The Safest Car In Britain´ in a study carried out by the Department of Transport.

The XJS range underwent significant changes in specification to strengthen its appeal and competitiveness. The main changes were the installation of the new 6.0 litre V12 engine, which provided startling improvements in performance, the 4-speed automatic transmission was also available on V12 models, the introduction of a 2+2 Convertible model and the fitment of new moulded bumpers and cast alloy wheels to give both coup?nd convertible a more contemporary appearance. During August 1993 Jaguar installed a new, £8.5 million, assembly line at the Browns Lane Plant. The new overhead mounted, doors off, single track assembly line replaced the former twin track saloon car production line which had been installed thirty years previous. The new state-of-the-art facility was installed in just 21 days and provided a further boost to quality control and efficiency at Browns Lane as well as a much better working environment for the employees.

Jaguar´s engine plat at Radford was also demonstrating its commitment to quality improvement, becoming the first Jaguar plant to receive the coveted Ford Quality Standard - Q1. By the end of the year all three of Jaguar´s assembly plants had gained registration to BS5750 and early in 1994 both Browns Lane and Castle Bromwich also achieved Q1.

In a constantly changing world Jaguar is always looking for opportunities to capitalise on new markets. During 1993 Jaguars went on sale in Russia and many of the new Eastern Block countries. In October, Nick Scheele signed an agreement with Inchcape Pacific as Jaguar´s distributor for the whole of China, a country with tremendous opportunity for economic growth.

Jaguar also made another appearance at Le Mans in 1993 with a team of three specially prepared XJ220C´s which competed in the new Grand Touring class. A month earlier the XJ220C had a dream debut at Silverstone when Win Percy won the BRDC National Sports GT Challenge race with ease. Things were a little tougher at Le Mans and by the early hours of Sunday morning only one Jaguar was left running. There was further drama when the remaining Jaguar of John Nielsen, David Brabham and David Coulthard lost 73 minutes as a result of a fuel leak. However once fixed the XJ220 steadily overhauled Jurgen Barth´s Porsche to regain the GT lead and take the chequered flag. The final irony of the race occurred several weeks later when the winning Jaguar was disqualified for an alleged technical infringement.

The new XJ Series made its world debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 1994 and the launch of the new car dominated the year for Jaguar. The launch was even more remarkable as for the first time the company launched a new car, built to world class quality standards, simultaneously in every one of its markets around the globe.

Code named X300 during its development, the new XJ Series represented an investment of over £200 million and was the first product programme to be delivered by Jaguar since its acquisition by Ford. The new car maintained the long heritage of engineering excellence and styling pedigree but combined this with world class manufacturing process management.

The most striking aspect of the new range was the way traditional and modern styling cues were combined to produce an elegant new body design. Every external body panel was changed from the previous XJ models. Whilst the new sculpted bonnet shape and rear end styling evoked memories of the classic Series III saloons, the essential modernity of the design was emphasised by contemporary features such as colour keyed bumpers, a slimmer radiator grille and distinctive head and tail light treatment.

Jaguar engineers made the new XJ Series quieter, smoother, more comfortable, faster yet more economical, safer, more secure and more reliable. The new 326 BHP supercharged 4.0 litre engine, a first for volume production luxury saloons, also ensured that the new XJ was more exciting and appealed to a new range of Jaguar customers. The car was a tremendous success and won accolades from Jaguar dealers, the press and customers around the world. The 3.2 XJ6 went on to win What Car? magazines Luxury Car of the Year for an unprecedented third year in succession. There were numerous other prestigious awards for the car from Europe and North America. The year was rounded off in fine style when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II honoured the company with a visit to the Browns Lane plant in December. It was the Queen´s first visit to Jaguar since 1957 and it proved to be a memorable day. The Queen was delighted to meet so many Jaguar employees and displayed a keen interest in every aspect of the assembly process impressing everyone with her knowledge of car production. She also ordered a new 6.0 litre Daimler in British Racing Green.

Jaguar began 1995 with sales of the new XJ Series soaring to a five year high with all of the company´s major global markets showing impressive gains over the previous year. In May the company announced two Celebration XJS models to commemorate 60 years of the legendary Jaguar marque.

Jaguar´s product range was further extended in June with the launch of long wheelbase versions of the XJ Series Saloon range. The new models incorporate a 5 inch (125 mm) stretch behind the centre pillar, which provides significantly improved rear passenger comfort and space. The long wheelbase saloons truly embody the Jaguar and Daimler hallmarks of grace, pace and space. The cars were designed to extend the appeal of the XJ Series saloon in all major markets world-wide, providing a springboard for further sales success.

In July it was confirmed that the X200 programme, Jaguar´s smaller, more affordable saloon car, would be built at the Castle Bromwich plant. The programme was approved by the Ford board after the UK government indicated there would be a substantial grant towards the cost of the new project.