Good bye Jaguar ! You have not got long in F1

[CATMAN]

So you`ve just watched another of this years GP, you`ve got a few bob to spend on a new sporty motor! You wana bye one of those zippy stylish european models to impress who ever you think will be impressed. You, and your to be impressed friends watch motor sport!
Do you buy the Italian Red Job, A sporty Merc, a Beemer
or Audi (well thay did 1 2 3 at Le Mans) or do you buy a Jaguar. A marque that has untill recently produced an unreliable lardy range of models driven by middle aged generally out of fashion people and whos F1 cars allways seem to fail. (current range is pretty lardy)
Ford who own Jag have been on a spending spree of late buying Land Rover, and how long will it be before the finance boys look at the coffers and decide that the F1 return on the $/£ is not enough to warrant the Jaguar name being in F1.
Ford funded Stewart, had a few seasons of the usual GP setup drama and some limited succes. For Ford as reasonable middle of the road family type car manufacturers this was OK. But changing to Jag and the up market expectations that go with this, can F1 failure be lived with for very long. And do EI and JH present the image that Jagur wants let alone give the results they need even if the cars did hold together. And putting an American in charge is not exactly a smart move.

[fatbloke]

Even without pulling in respectable results, Jaguar feel justified in their Formula One involvement, following news of sales results so far this year.

In the first five months of the year, Jaguar sold over 40,000 cars world-wide - breaking records in 60 countries, and nearly doubling sales over the same period in '99.

The results are not put down entirely to the Formula One exposure: Ford has been working on marketing the car effectively, and has pushed the S-Type as a car of the future; however, the scale of the expanded involvement is seen as clear indication of the strength of marketing via involvement on a very public world stage.

In order to continue their growth, however, some insiders believe that winning races is going to be vital; the marketing folk are not so sure, however: they see just being in a world spotlight as valuable, regardless of the results... at least, as long as the cars are vaguely competitive.

In any case, as more and more major manufacturers enter, Ford HAVE to be seen to be competing. More so, they have to be seen to be winning - Jaguar are going no-where. More money may be coming their way though...

[Neil C]

Catamaran, good to see you back.

But I beg to differ with you somewhat. Ford has a long involvement in motorsport, and have recently redefined their involvement to align with their marketing. In other words, the Ford oval:Nascar and CART, Volvo:Rallying, Jaguar:F1 etc. They are in motorsport for good, whether or not F1, I dont know. I hope so.

Even bitter opponents of the Ford takeover of Jag have admitted that Ford has helped the Jag moniker overcome perceived problems in the eye of the public. I know first hand how Jag was synonymous with unreliability. Part of my college education was funded by the fact that Jaguar in the 60's and 70's put the "liability" in "reliability". Ford has allowed Jag to produce reliable sport/luxury cars at reasonable cost, due to the sharing of platforms such as the S-type sharing a platform with the Lincoln LS. Jaguar alone did not have the financial leverage to make that happen. Now, in my car-conscious home town (Detroit), the S-type is the smart car to be seen in, and the roadster is a head-turner in a town that's seen 'em all.

Ford has also taken great pains to assure that the Jag identity does not get lost in the shuffle of nameplates, and that has extended to their F1 effort. In my personal contact with Ford, (relating to their international travel), the folks at Jaguar remain fiercely independent and Ford is encouraging that.

Part of the problem early on was that Neil Ressler (the American who heads Jaguar Racing) insisted that many of the components of the R1 be designed, engineered and made by the boys at Milton Keynes. This was meant to empower and reassure them that this was "their" team, but it has lead to development problems in critical areas such as oil delivery systems. If there is a criticism of Dr. Ressler, it would be that he also held the no. 1 technical position at Ford. He has since dropped his other duties and is moving to Europe.

This may seem to many just another takeover of a marque with a long, proud tradition by another all-consuming American conglomorate. I see it as a way to continue the proud legacy of a great name in motorsport, and expanding the market and the fan base for Jaguar to the US. I was a self-exiled F1 fan until the Stewart/Ford/Jag team and the pending return of F1 to the USA.

It seems like the pending construction of a massive developmental facility, including an air tunnel, would indicate that Ford/Jaguar is in it for the long run. What "long" means remains to be seen, but I plan to be cheering Team Jaguar at the 2020 US Grand Prix. Hope to see you there.

[Minardi fan]

Vaguely competitive? They're not even half-way there.

Jackie must be wondering why he ever sold up Stewart - a team which was most definitely going places.

[Super Tourer]

Car Brands seem to lose all sense of logic when it comes to motorsport. On one hand they are very 'precious' with their advertising as to how the brand is perceived. Yet if you or I were to walk into Jaguar's marketing dept and tell them we have designed a campaign that will cost millions of pounds, show the cars to be unreliable and with poor handling qualities, they would throw you out...

Yet with F1 this year, this is effectively what they have been doing. Yes sales have increased, but how much of this is due to F1. Similarly how much good PR have Peugeot got from being associated with Prost.

This is why I think the car brands tenure in F1 is so fragile. The minute they think that negative publicity has a sniff of denting their sales and brand image, they will be off.......

[GeoffP]

Since I'm rooting for Jag to do well, I'm frustrated when I read negative posts, but there is reason to be critical. Herberts recent blast is certainly due to frustration, but this year's chassis is a dog for sure.

Is it Ford's fault that unless your car design involves Newey/Brawn/Byrne, you are buying a lottery ticket? It seems with all the global resources being thrown at F1, more than 2 teams should be able to build a chassis that is easy to develop, but that's the reality.

This season is a write-off other than the horsepower race. 2001 will show if Ford wants to win, or is content to gloat over the biggest chrome ornament in the paddock.

By the way, what is different about the way they have botched the Colin McRae/Focus rally effort? They should be equally ashamed of themselves.
GP

[Neil C]

Originally posted by GeoffP
2001 will show if Ford wants to win, GP

I agree wholeheartedly. Welcome to 10/10ths GP.

[TimD]

Welcome, Geoff.

I have to say, on the marketing front, that despite everything, the branding seems to be paying off.

At a recent Aston Martin club meet at Donington, the doors were opened to the Jaguar enthusiasts' clubs so that they could celebrate the 25th birthday of the XJ-S in style. The Jaguar roadshow took the opportunity of putting up a marquee with a Jag R1 inside, and it was fascinating to see the interest it sparked.

Certainly more than when I've seen similar Jordan or Williams displays at race meetings. Small children were seen clamouring for posters and miniature R1's, and I passed more than one sedately driven XJ6 on the way home with a Jaguar Racing sticker freshly applied to the back window.

What it's doing for the general punter, I don't know, but it seems a very real rallying call for the established Jaguar buyer. And if that translates into new XK8 and S-Type sales, that can't be bad.

I'd take issue with CATMAN on the unreliability and corpulence thing. Certainly since about '85, a Jaguar - any Jaguar - starts becoming a viable proposition. And the XJ saloons are a lot more poised and chuckable than the equivalent BMW or Merc. If the right eighties XJ-S came along, I WOULD buy it, confident that in its later incarnations, the sound basic design had the reliability problems licked.

[Kenny W.]

Am I the only one who blames the downfall of the promising Stewart team to the shambles of Jaguar / Ford on the removal of Jackie Stewart as a hands-on integral part of the team, (when Ford made him a "figurehead", taking him out of the pits/factory and into the boardroom?)
I believe that his name and character drove the team to excede expectations, and until they can find a proper replacement things will continue as they are.

[Minardi fan]

Definitely. What is the major thing missing from the team as it was last year??? Jackie Stewart.

Jaguar have concentrated far too much on PR and hype - if they're not in F1 to race, they may as well clear off.

[Neil C]

Originally posted by Minardi fan
if they're not in F1 to race, they may as well clear off.

And you base this statement on what, MinMan? Results? If thats the case there are a few other teams, including a certain yellowie green Italian job thats overdue for the slagheap as well.

Yes, I know, Minardi has the best car and the best drivers, only lacking a proper engine and it would be a yellow ferrari.


[Edited by Neil C on 23rd June 2000]

[Regs]

I think JS is probably secretly happy with his name no longer being associated with this effort. Stewart Ford was about trying to build a winning presence for thier team in Formula 1. And it seemed last year that they were beginning to come around. Then the suits came in. Handed Jackie a cheque he couldn't refuse, and handed Stewart Ford F1 over to Jaguar as a marketing adventure. But they are foolish to think that merely being out there and doing okayishly will be enough. Jaguar, and be extension Ford, have more riding on this then is realised. They have stated they wish to become the British Ferrari, with seas of green flags waving in Silverstone grandstands, a cult like fan following, and British Racing green S-types parading out of Jag dealers from London to L.A. Marketing and racing are a funny mixture. You can have all the flashy adverts you want, if your cars go up in smoke week after week you begin to look like a parody of your marketing. And I don't think Ford's board has that much of a sense of humor. Ferrari's reputation has been built over decades with out the help of MBA's. Once Ford/Jag. figure that out, and put their main efforts in to racing, instead of motorhomes, they'll be on the road to the success they seek. Didn't anyone learn from BAR?

[Minardi fan]

Of course Minardi are in it to race. YES they have one of the best chassis but Mazzacane isn't much good as a driver.

Jaguar are in F1 for PR. At least Ferrari, Minardi, Jordan etc... are in it to be part of F1, because they love it.