Everyone is talking about Jaguar again. The Type 01 has just landed, and it is the most argued-over car the brand has built in decades. To understand why people care so much, you need to know what came before it.
Here is every major Jaguar model, from the first SS saloons to the electric GT, in order. Tap any name to see real owners' cars on its Drivesome page.
The Newest Jaguar: Type 01
Jaguar Type 01. Photo: Jaguar
The Type 01 was revealed in New York on 6 October 2026. It is a four-seat electric grand tourer with three motors making 757kW, 0 to 100km/h in 3.2 seconds and up to 720km of range, making it the most powerful road car Jaguar has built.
Prices start at £130,000 in the UK and around A$300,000 in Australia, with first deliveries in the second half of 2027. It follows the Type 00 concept that kicked off the rebrand in late 2024. Read the full story in Jaguar Type 01 Is Here. Now Comes the Hard Part.
Where It Started: SS Cars, 1935 to 1951
The Jaguar name first appeared in 1935 on the SS Jaguar saloon, built by William Lyons' company SS Cars. The SS 100 sports car followed and set the template. Long bonnet, low lines, more performance than the price suggested.
After the war, the SS initials carried the wrong associations, so in 1945 the company became Jaguar Cars. The 1½, 2½ and 3½ Litre saloons carried on, followed by the Mark V in 1948.
The XK Era: Jaguar Becomes a Legend
The XK120 stopped the 1948 London Motor Show. It was named for its 120mph top speed, which made it one of the fastest production cars in the world. Under the bonnet was the XK straight six, an engine Jaguar kept building in one form or another until 1992.
Jaguar XK120 roadster. Photo by T on Unsplash
The XK140 and XK150 carried the line through to 1961, each a little more refined than the last.
Le Mans Winners: C-Type, D-Type and XKSS
The C-Type won Le Mans in 1951 and again in 1953. Its successor, the D-Type, won three in a row from 1955 to 1957. Leftover D-Types were turned into the road-going XKSS, now one of the most valuable Jaguars ever built.
Jaguar D-Type at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Photo by Michael Hutchinson on Unsplash
Grace, Space and Pace: The Saloons
While the race cars won trophies, the saloons paid the bills. The big Mark VII and Mark IX took Jaguar upmarket in the 1950s, and the Mark X of 1961 was one of the widest British cars of its day.
The compact 2.4 and 3.4 Litre saloons arrived in 1955, then grew into the Mark 2 in 1959. Fast, handsome and a favourite of police and getaway drivers alike, it became the definitive sports saloon of the 1960s.
Jaguar Mark 2 on a country road. Photo by Abhinand Venugopal on Unsplash
The Mark 2 spawned a family. The S-Type of 1963 added independent rear suspension, the 420 sharpened the nose, and the 240 and 340 closed out the line in 1969.
The E-Type, 1961 to 1975
If one car defines Jaguar, it is the E-Type. It launched in 1961 with around 150mph and a price far below anything that could match it. Enzo Ferrari is said to have called it the most beautiful car ever made.
Jaguar E-Type Series 1 coupe. Photo by Oli Woodman on Unsplash
It ran in three series. The Series 1 is the purist's pick, the Series 2 brought open headlights and safety changes, and the Series 3 added a 5.3 litre V12.
The XJ, 1968 to 2019
Sir William Lyons called the XJ6 Series 1 his finest saloon, and it was the last car he oversaw. It rode better than almost anything on the road and looked lower and leaner than any rival.
The XJ name lasted more than fifty years. The Series 2 and Series 3 carried the shape to 1992, the XJ12 added V12 power, and the XJ40, X300 and X308 kept the classic look alive into the 2000s.
The aluminium X350 arrived in 2003, and the final X351 of 2009 broke with tradition completely. Production ended in 2019, and the XJ has had no successor since.
GTs and Supercars: XJ-S to XJ220
The XJ-S replaced the E-Type in 1975 and divided opinion from day one. It went on to run for 21 years, which says plenty about how wrong first impressions can be.
Jaguar XJ-S coupe. Photo by Paul Lichtblau on Unsplash
Then came the wild ones. The XJR-15 was a road car built from Jaguar's Le Mans racer, and the XJ220 was briefly the fastest production car in the world, at around 217mph.
The Modern Cats, 1996 to 2024
The XK8 of 1996 brought back the long-nosed GT, with the supercharged XKR for those who wanted more. An all-aluminium XK followed in 2006.
Jaguar XK8 convertible. Photo by Harvey Keefe on Unsplash
The saloons went retro, then modern. The S-Type and X-Type leaned on nostalgia, before the XF in 2008 and the XE in 2015 gave Jaguar a sharper, cleaner look.
The F-Type of 2013 was the first proper two-seat Jaguar sports car since the E-Type, and it remains the most posted Jaguar on Drivesome by a distance.
Jaguar F-Type convertible. Photo by Michael Heuser on Unsplash
SUVs and the First Electric Jaguar
The F-Pace of 2016 became the brand's best seller, joined by the smaller E-Pace. The I-Pace arrived in 2018 as Jaguar's first electric car and won World Car of the Year in 2019.
Jaguar I-Pace. Photo by Autotrader UK on Unsplash
Jaguar wound down every one of these models ahead of the rebrand. The last car off the old line was an F-Pace SVR, built in December 2025.
What Comes Next?
That is the history the Type 01 has to live up to. Ninety years of saloons, sports cars and Le Mans winners, and a name that still makes people stop and look.
Got a Jaguar of your own? Post it to its car page and add it to the story. Which Jaguar would you put in your garage?
Header photo by Jason Clifton on Unsplash.
