1. Sir William Lyons, known as "Mr Jaguar", was with fellow motorcycle enthusiast William Walmsley, the co-founder in 1922 of the Swallow Sidecar Company, which became Jaguar Cars Limited after the Second World War.
11 Facts About William Lyons
1. 2.
Lyons was born in Blackpool, son of Irish immigrant William Lyons, who owned a musical instrument shop, and his wife Minnie Barcroft, the daughter of a mill owner.
3.
William Lyons left Crossley in 1919 to work as a salesman at the Sunbeam dealers Brown and Mallalieu in Blackpool.
4.
William Lyons manufactured stylish sidecars, but after 1927 made increasing numbers of low cost coach-built cars, especially the Austin Seven Swallow which the Blackpool factory produced at the rate of 12 per week.
5.
The first "Jaguar" model was offered in 1935, and after World War II, William Lyons changed the company name to Jaguar to avoid the unfortunate connotations with the Nazi SS "Schutzstaffel".
6.
William Lyons was responsible for the styling of every new model introduced.
7.
William Lyons gave his permission, in 1956, for the formation of The Jaguar Drivers' Club, an owners club for the cars his company produced.
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William Walmsley 8.
In 1956, William Lyons was knighted for his services to British industry and for the fine export performance of the company.
9.
William Lyons retired completely to Wappenbury Hall in 1972, to play golf, travel, garden, and keep prize-winning Suffolk sheep and Jersey cattle on his farm estates at Wappenbury.
10.
William Lyons's health declined fairly rapidly in retirement and the reemergence of his company under John Egan took place after his death.
11.
William Lyons died on 8 February 1985 at Wappenbury Hall, his home in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, at the age of 83.