If you were among the millions of people who watched the royal wedding, you may have noticed the vast number of Jaguar present during the ceremonies. The pre-eminence of vehicles from this luxury British brand was no doubt a nod to their long-standing association with the royal family. In fact, Jaguar is one of the two automotive companies to hold all three Royal Warrants from Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

A SUCCESS STORY

Setting aside nationalistic considerations, one can assume that the Royal Family has come to appreciate Jaguar vehicles for the style, distinctiveness, capability and performance of their products – qualities that have allowed this premium manufacturer to stand out in the automotive landscape.

BRINGING TAILOR-MADE TO THE NEXT LEVEL

The appeal and interest garnered by Jaguar has no doubt engendered an interest in unique vehicles that bring capability, exclusivity, distinctiveness and performance to the next level. It is from this demand that Special Vehicle Operations was born. The division is responsible for producing “halo models, limited-run collector’s editions and high-specification vehicles,” as well as special task vehicles – for use in diplomatic roles or for the film industry, for example. Of course, projects like this are far from a new reality for Jaguar, but Special Vehicle Operations brings the management, specialists, tools and facilities responsible for these projects under one roof.

STATE-OF-THE ART FACILITIES

The division operates from its own state-of-the-art facility – the Jaguar Center of Excellence, located near Coventry, England. The 215,000 square feet facility houses a team of 250 automotive specialists, a world-class paint facility and 40 engineering inspection bays. Special Vehicle Operations is thus able to perform mechanical, design and technological improvements in-house. As stated by John Edwards, managing director of Special Vehicle Operations:

“SVO is about pushing the boundaries and making vehicles that stand out. These are not just great looking cars. We make outstanding cars. Cars with real substance and real integrity.”

SVO: AREAS OF FOCUS

A real advantage of SVO is the ability to really accentuate the strengths of a vehicle and focus efforts on maximizing them. As such, Special Vehicle Operations produces three distinct categories of vehicles:

1. SVAutobiography represents ultimate luxury.
2. SVX badge is used to describe models modified and optimized to maximize all-terrain capability.
3. SVR describes vehicles optimized to maximize on-road performance.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

In addition to these advanced models, Special Vehicle Operations is also involved in producing limited-run collector’s editions, such as the upcoming XE SV Project 8, which has already beaten a Nürburgring lap record. Seeing as the Bond franchise is almost as British as the Royal Family itself, it is fitting that Special Vehicle Operations is teamed up with motor racing specialist Williams for the production of the Jaguar C-X75 featured in Spectre.

AN EXCITING FUTURE

Special Vehicle Operations may be quite new, but there is no denying that in their short existence they have already succeeded in providing vehicles that bring exclusivity, performance, luxury and capability, while also being able to modify Jaguar vehicles to perform and excel in any role. It will be fascinating to see what vehicles are produced in the future by this elite division of Jaguar.