Contrary to what a lot of folks think, Jaguar was not born to be an also-ran competitor to its German and (increasingly) Japanese rivals. In fact, Jag started life as a motorcycle sidecar company. Swallow Sidecar — mostly known as SS — changed its name to Jaguar when production resumed after World War 2 (we hope it’s obvious why). The reason that Jaguar even matters today is because of the cars they built in the 1950s; and of course the E-type (1961). Few cars will ever have the classic Brit roadster act down as patly as the XK140. And the fact that the lux-looking Mark VIII could hit 106 mph (and weighed nearly two tons) was damn impressive back when Elvis was shiny and new. But here’s the thing — as likeable and great to drive as Jags were, they were cheap. At least when shopped against the English competition. The E-type was reasonably priced at just under $6,000 when new. That’s about $1,000 more than a contemporary Corvette, but half what Ferrari and Aston were charging for their top-end two seaters. You can guess how Rolls-Royce compared to Jag’s big saloons (hint: several times more expensive). My point? Motor Authority is quoting Jag’s Australian Chief Marmitey Chazwazza David Blackhall that the brand will soon be competing against Bentley and other top tier brands. Like Maserati. He states, “We talk about Jaguar as premium niche. The way I explain this to people is, closer to Bentley than BMW. That’s the territory we’ve got to keep heading towards in my opinion.” My opinion — who wants a $200,000 Jaguar? Er, a brand new $200,000 Jag. Price is no object when it comes me and a D-type. [Source: Motor Authority]