Ford Motor Co. is remaining mum, but reports that it has quietly put both the Land Rover and Jaguar brands on the market are ringing true.

Tom Hoyt, Ford spokesman, declined to comment on the reports Jaguar was finally getting dumped. "We don't comment on speculation," he said. "If there is something to announce, we'll announce it," he said.

Outside observers note Ford basically needs every dime it can muster now to salvage its core North American automotive business, and long-quiet members of the Ford family are beginning to wonder if the Ford fortune could survive longer if the family trusts finally let go of their Ford stock.

Strategic reviews produced both inside the company and by outside consultants, have consistently recommended the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover ever since 9/11. The practical business case for keeping Jaguar simply no longer exists, outside analysts have suggested.

The Ford family's three nominal car guys - Edsel Ford II, William Clay Ford Sr., and William Clay Ford Jr. - have opposed the idea even though Jaguar has brought the company nothing but grief for nearly two decades.

In the case of Land Rover, former Ford CEO Jac Nasser simply paid way too much in the late 1990s when he forked over $3.3 billion to BMW for the brand and negligible physical assets.