The credo of William Lyons, founder of Standard Swallow, which became SS Jaguar and then Jaguar after the war (it is easy to understand why) is brilliant: to mass-produce sporty and luxurious cars whose appearance suggests that they cost twice as much as their real selling price. The customers, many, are not deceived because the Jaguars are beautiful and fast. William Lyons, knighted in 1956, is also a talented self-taught designer. The Jaguars carried his paw until he left in 1972 at the age of 71.