Jaguar Factory Tour: Circa 1961

While most of today’s cars are built using a combination of robots and human labor, the robots are clearly winning. Even back in the 1960s, machines provided automotive builders with a helping hand, though workers certainly played a bigger role than they do today.

This promotional film from 1961 takes us deep inside Jaguar’s Coventry, UK assembly line to see how everything from the engine to the body to the interior were built. It’s a great look at the combination of mechanical and meticulous human craftsmanship that produced Britain’s gentleman’s car, and is also a fascinating time capsule of the era.

If you manage to stick around through the full assembly process, you’ll be rewarded with driving footage of Jaguar’s greatest achievement, the classic E-Type. Just listen to that kitten purr.