Jaguar from the Shop Floor — Foleshill Road and Browns Lane 1949 to 1978

by Brian James Martin

In this book, Brian Martin tells the story of his life as a long-time employee at Jaguar, giving a first-hand account of the development and production processes, and the ups and downs of factory life through the eyes of someone who was actually there.

In this part-autobiographical and part-historical account, the author tells of his childhood in a typical working family of the depression era, and then describes his career from starting at the Jaguar factory in 1949, through a spell doing national service in the RAF and then going back to Jaguar. He left briefly in 1972 to try other jobs, but returned to the factory in the mid-1970s.

Providing a fascinating insight into the Jaguar production process, the book also covers the development of the XK120, Mk V, Mk VII, MK X, the Mark 1 and 2 saloons, the XKSS, E1A, E2A, lightweight E-types, XJ6, XJ12, and XJS.

Contents:

• Why Jaguar?
• 1949 - I join Jaguar, the NUVB, and Labour
• 1949-1950 - The XK120, assembly line chaos, and Gladys and Dorothy
• 1950-1951 - Earls Court Motor Show, my first date, and the Mk VII
• 1951-1955 - The RAF, towing aircraft, and night flying
• 1955 - Jaguar at Browns Lane, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and my first car
• 1956 - A royal visit, Jaguar retires from racing, and preparing for Earls Court
• 1957 - The XKSS, the fire, and a new position
• 1957-1958 - The experimental department, a Ford van, and rallying
• 1958-1959 - The Mk II in competition, E1A, and E2A
• 1960-1961 - The Grand Prix, my first Jaguar, and Sandy Lane
• 1961-1962 - The Mk X, more racing, and the early lightweights
• 1963-1965 - The lightweights, the XJ range, and a big decision
• 1965-1972 - New jobs, Forward Engineering, and coming full circle
• 1972-1973 - Old friends, assembly lines, and Browns Lane transformed
• 1974-1978 - The XJC, the XJS, and leaving Jaguar
• Epilogue: My Jaguars

Buch, Hardcover, 16 x 24 cm, 176 Seiten, 99 teils farbige Abbildungen, englischer Text