| | Just under a year after Tata Motors acquired two of the world's most iconic British automotive brands, Indian premium car buyers (cum enthusiasts) be ready to shrug off your Teutonic fixation and attempt to go forth with top notch alternative engineering, craftsmanship and performance, both on and off road courtesy Jaguar and Land Rover. To many it seems as if the Jaguar brand name was archaic and old world and probably this manifestation could have some germ of truth in it for the immediate decade after independence we did have Indian royalty and also rich enthusiasts bring in Jaguar two-seater sports cars and also some of their fast saloons. Yes even in Pune we had the awesome sight and sound of the classic XK120 and XK140 sports cars running to peak performance in the annual road races organized by the now defunct Deccan Motorcycle Sports Club (DMCSC) at the Lohegaon aerodrome. The Yuvraj Kumar of Gondal won many a race in his Jaguar XK120 and many others followed this all over the land. Jaguar suffered dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s when the dubious amalgamation of the British automotive industry took its toll on many a brand. However, it managed to rescue itself from much harm by ignorant bureaucrats and got back on to a strong footing plus also getting back to its roots. This mini-renaissance of sorts promised much, so much so that Jac Nasser bought the company to become the cornerstone of Ford's much touted Premier Automotive Group (which in its heyday also included Aston Martin, Land Rover and Volvo). |