Birth of a Legend
William Lyons’ original vision was to build motorcycle sidecars. To this end, he set up the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. By 1927, however, he’d moved on to cars.
In 1931, he launched what would be the first of many legendary vehicles: the SS1. And as his cars improved, he needed a name that would better reflect their speed, sleekness and raw power. In 1935, Jaguar was born
Military Precision
During World War II, whilst concentrating primarily on the manufacture of sidecars for military use, the company also learned about aircraft design and production techniques. When Jaguar subsequently introduced its new XK120 at the 1948 Motor Show (with an engine output of an unprecedented 160 BHP) it was destined to become one of the greatest sports cars of all time. The Mark VII saloon was unveiled at the 1950 Motor Show and once again Lyons ‘stole the show.’
Jaguar now had a fine reputation, a superb large saloon and a very fine sports car, but it needed a high-volume smaller car. In 1955, the company invested £ 1 million on designing and developing the Jaguar 2.4 to fill the gap.
A Racing Pedigree
After an exploratory trip to Le Mans in 1950, it was realized that Jaguar had the makings of a successful competition car. Consequently, Lyons was persuaded that a car should be produced solely with racing in mind. Hence the XK120C was born or, as the car is more generally known, the C-Type. Three C-Types were finished just in time for Le Mans in 1951. The Jaguars were an unknown quantity, yet the C-Type driven by Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead recorded a remarkable victory on its racing debut.
Meanwhile, Jaguar engineers had been working in conjunction with Dunlop on a new development, the disc brake. This was to be Jaguar’s secret weapon upon their return to Le Mans in 1953. With their fade-free brakes the C-types could decelerate at the end of the three and a half mile Mulsanne Straight from speeds of around 150 mph, with complete confidence, and they could leave their braking far later then their rivals. The result was a complete walkover- the Jaguars finishing first, second and fourth. If further proof were needed that Jaguar was now a world force and the XK engine a world beater, then the emphatic Le Mans triumph of ’53, against one of the strongest fields the race had ever seen, provided it. By the end of the decade, Jaguar C-types, and the D-types that followed, had achieved a total of five victories at Le Mans. In, 1959, Studebaker by Fohrman Inc. begins selling Volvo's on Chicago's North West side at Fullerton and Cicero Avenues. Fohrman will later become Howard Orloff Imports.
The E-Type and Beyond
By the 1960s, Jaguar needed to make another quantum leap forward. The E-type, announced in 1961, was just that. Like the XK120 in 1948, it was an absolute sensation, perfectly capturing the spirit of its time. A true automotive icon, and arguably the most famous sports car of all time, some 70,000 Jaguar E-types were built over the next 13 years with around 60% being shipped to the United States. In 1964 Howard Orloff joins the Studebaker by Fohrman group at 4748 West Fullerton Avenue in Chicago and owned by brothers, Marvin and Irving, as a manager bringing with him a wealth of automotive experience, having worked and learned under the tutelage of Jim Moran the "courtesy man", owner of Courtesy Ford in Chicago. In 1966 Howard Orloff buys Irving Fohrman's ownership interest to become a 50% owner of Studebaker By Fohrman, Inc.
In 1968, the XJ6 arrived. It was without question the finest Jaguar saloon yet and met with instant praise. First and foremost, the shape was another Lyons masterpiece. In an era when cars were starting to lose their character, the Jaguar strongly retained its identity.
In 1972, at age 71, Sir William Lyons retired.
1975 saw the launch of the XJ-S, a sports car with saloon-car refinement, which would prove popular well into the eighties. In 1977 Howard Orloff welcomes the first of three family members into the business, being his son, David Orloff, who begins his automotive career in Parts Department. In 1978 Fohrman Imports is sold when Howard Orloff purchases the remaining ownership interest of his remaining partner, Marvin Fohrman, and changes the company name to Howard Orloff Imports, Inc.
During the decade that followed, Jaguar competed in the US IMSA, the European Touring Car Championships and the World Championships. In 1984 Howard Orloff Imports celebrates its 25th year in business serving the Chicagoland area. In 1985 Howard Orloff welcomes his eldest son, Jeffrey Orloff, into his growing automotive business as a quality control test driver. In 1987 David Orloff, employed since 1977 and the acting Vice President, becomes part owner of the business. Later that year, the company commences under the name Howard Orloff Jaguar Volvo. In 1988, the company added another Le Mans victory to the five achieved in the fifties. Two years later, the fortieth anniversary of its first Le Mans appearance, saw Jaguar claim both first and second place- its seventh win at Le Mans.
New Millennium, Age-Old Values
In 1990 Howard Orloff adds a third member of his family into the business by welcoming his son-in-law, Joseph Coletta to join himself, David and Jeffrey. Plans are being made to relocate the business to a location closer to the Kennedy Expressway and more convenient for their customers. The nineties saw the introduction of the XK8, the XKR sports coupes and convertibles and the mid-sized S-TYPE sports saloon, making up Jaguar’s widest range ever.
In 1993, Howard Orloff Imports, after 34 years of business at the Fullerton and Cicero location moves its dealership to a new State-of-the-Art showroom and service facility in its current location at 1924 N. Paulina Street in Chicago just off the Kennedy Expressway at Armitage Avenue. In 1994 Jeffrey Orloff, employed since 1985 and the acting corporate secretary, became part owner of the family business. And in 1999, Joseph Coletta, who joined the business in 1990 and is an acting Vice President of the organization, follows David and Jeffrey in becoming a part owner in the business.
In February 2001, the X-TYPE became the highlight of the Geneva International Motor Show. The following year, the XJ, with its revolutionary aluminum body, was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. In 2004 Howard Orloff Imports, after 44 years of sustained growth, takes on a strategic growth opportunity by acquiring the Land Rover franchise, becoming the only Jaguar and now Land Rover dealer in the city of Chicago. It commences doing business under the name of Land Rover Chicago. Then came the XF in 2008; the first sporting saloon to emerge with the Philosophy of building beautiful, fast cars. And in 2010, the next chapter is beginning right now- with the all-new ionic 2011 XJ. Today, as in the past, Jaguar cars result from a unique objective, best articulated by the marque’s charismatic founder: to be the “closest thing we can create to something that is alive.”
