Sir William Lyons 1901-1985
William Lyons didn't exactly burst into the automotive word like other designers; he arrived by motorcycle.
In 1922, at the age of 21, William Lyons changed from a customer of Bill Walmsley's Swallow motorcycle sidecar to a business partner. In 1927, the Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Co. of Blackpool started to branch out into the automotive field as they offered more styling bodywork for the mundane Austin sedan. This was William Lyons tirst venture as an automotive designer.
Lyons now had the car manufacturing bug while his partner preferred the hand assembly of the cottage industry approach. With the experience of being at least a partial automobile manufacturer, Lyons yearned for his own marque but was realistic enough to realize that he didn't have the intensive talent of a full manufacturer. Regardless, he moved ahead with the SS1 and SS11 cars at the 1931 Olympia show.
The first car shows the total resolve of the man in spite of overwhelming odds. He solved the lack of capital equipment by subcontracting the engine and chassis to the Standard Co. The press labeled the car as the hit of the show and William Lyons' automotive career was launched.
For the second year of production, he incorporated flowing fenders in place of the cycle fenders of his first car and the design continued for years. But with such models as open touring cars and drophead coupes being added, William Lyons wanted a truly competitive sports car.
His SS-100 offered in 1936 was the real start of the company's performance image. In addition, 1936 also saw his first four door sedan. He now had a complete range of cars and the name was changed to SS-Jaguar Cars.
On September 30, 1948, as William Lyons introduced his all new Mk V sedan and drophead, he stated that a new sports car was coming, The car, called the XK-120 launched the company into the modern age and became an instant classic the moment it was unveiled, The car featured a six-cylinder DOHC engine of 3+ liter capacity making it one of the fastest cars of its era. The Lyons touch was there in the all-enveloping coachwork covering that marvelous engine. The magic worked again and sales dramatically increased.
The style was continued on succeeding cars, the XK-140 and XKl50, thru 1960, but they were getting dated. The market needed an even fresher approach. During the 1960s, Lyons acquired additional businesses, including Daimler, Guy and Coventry Climax, which gave the Jaguar Group one of the finest engineering teams and quality product ranges in the world. During the late 1960s, Lyons agreed to merge Jaguar Group with British Motor Corporation. The two later merged with Leyland to form British Leyland Motor Corporation with Jaguar Cars Ltd., operating autonomously.
William Lyons next blockbuster was simply called the E Type. He had done it again. The design of the E Type was refreshingly new, but this time he incorporated the company's racing experience in the suspension and powertrain. The car was a rocket and unarguably one of the most beautiful sports cars of all time. The style was so simple, so fluid that it seemed to move while standing still, It was the third time that his design for a sports car was a styling breakthrough.
While his sports cars created international fame, the company sold far more sedans. The sporty, luxurious sedans were the bread and butter of the company while the sports cars were the fun part. All his cars offered outstanding value, power, handling, and luxurious styling, Sir William Lyons was truly the all-encompassing designer.
Lyons remained chairman and chief executive until 1972 when he retired and was succeeded by "Lofty" England, but he continued to influence and advise his former colleagues in his role as president.
Thirty-five years ago "The American Artist" magazine honored William Lyons with the Medal of Honor of Excellence in Design. In 1992, Eyes on the Classics now honors him for a lifetime of design excellence.
