Jag being dropped by Ford?

There have been many rumours over the past couple of months on the theme that Renault want to buy, but Ford doesn't want to sell.

Has Business Week just caught up, or were you reading in your dentist's waiting room?

I'd hope they sell the marque to someone like BMW rather than Renault. IMO the Jaguar name is too good to simply go away. Hell, they still make Fiats don't they?

Ford has just invested an enormous sum of additional money in Jaguar, so is hardly likely to pull the plug now. Jaguars are selling like never before in most of the world. Biggest problem, as always, is the weakness of the dollar making the cars too expensive the US. Jaguar really needs a US manufacturing facility. Difficulty there would be maintaining the quality standards which are now being achieved.

Should Ford decided to disinvest, there would be no shortage of buyers, although one would hate to see it fall under the control of one of the German so-called prestige marques - it's hard to imagine them doing anything more than asset-stripping. Ford has been a remarkably sensitive and supportive parent, as it has with Aston Martin.

Unfortunately the company - and the US motor industry - has much bigger problems than a few piddling little losses at Jaguar.

David Betts ( snipped-for-privacy@motorsport.org.uk) The Classic Car Gallery:

Hot off the presses this week! And it reflects current thinking.

If the financial people think it's a drag on Ford, they will adjust their buy/sell recommendations accordingly. That will have more of an effect then just wishful thinking.

I still have my '71 Jag XKE I bought new. Haven't bought another; that may be part of their problem. I almost got the X all-wheel drive, until I found out it wasn't much different from the 500, and more expensive.

Al

Apart from the attempt to move Jaguar into the "mainstream" by building the X-type, I think that Ford have generally been very sympathetic towards the Jaguar marque. Unfortunately, Ford has Aston Martin as their "prestige" marque, so the accountants have to treat Jaguar differently. Given their stated desire for a prestige marque, perhaps Renault would be a better owner? As I've said before, in these days of two teams for some owners, Renault might even bring Jaguar back to F1 racing?!

Of course, as the owner of a Jaguar even older than yours, my opinions mean little to Jaguar management.

Are you the original owner? I wonder what percentage of owners of vintage Jags are the original owners?

I bought mine in July of '71. The tag says it was built in Nov. 70. Since Jag didn't have "model years" then, it's considered to be the year of sale here in the US. So in July I will have owned it for 35 years; yikes!

Al

No, I'm not the original owner, I've owned Grace for five years, after searching almost as long for a 420 in good, original condition. I understand that the car was originally built in April 67, delivered in California in late 67, and stayed there until being imported to Canada in 98.

Congratulations on being a member of what I suspect is a select group - I only know a couple of original owners of cars that are over 30 years old - I'll have to put a survey into the next edition of our club newsletter.

Cheers, Alan

Bought my '67 E roadster in '75, still have it 31 years later. Maybe this does not count since it was made into a SCCA racer in '84 and was raced until '99. Still runs great, last time out it would still pull