With the New Labour Government of 1997 and its youthful new Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the UK was undergoing a “Cool Britannia” transformation of identity. Britpop and The Spice Girls were sparking a renewed pride in being British as the country hurtled towards a new millennium and possibly a bright new future. It was into this atmosphere that Jaguar, under Ford’s stewardship, launched its new mid-size luxury car, the S-Type, a car that didn’t look forward, but backwards to Jaguars storied past. 8 years later the S-Type, and Ford’s ownership had disappeared, replaced by the modern, forward-looking XF. Why did Jaguar choose the retro-modern looks of the S-Type, was it any good, and did it spark a resurgence in the brand to make it a competitor with Germany’s finest, as Ford had wanted?
Music: "Classique" by Francis Preve, and "Staycation" by Corbyn Kites. Listen to both through the YouTube audio library.
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Britannia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Mark_2
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