
Then there is the fact that the E-type is the barometer of the entire classic car market, and has been since day one. Some of you may not like that, but a vocal minority is a minority nonetheless. Even car-haters swoon in its presence and, if you want to be taken seriously as a classic car dealer, you must have one on your forecourt.įrom C&SC’s terms of reference it is the Lady Di of classics: the vast majority of enthusiasts have an insatiable appetite for it. The Jaguar E-type is the most commonly desired car in the world. It’s all too easy to get these thoughts in your head and to convince yourself that they outweigh everything else, so let’s quickly remind ourselves of the everything else. It almost looks as if something has fallen off. Oh, and when you are following an E-type the shallow rear tray is invisible, so far too many of the mechanicals are exposed. The base of the windscreen is about 4in too far back, unsettling an otherwise perfect profile (it always has been and, to these eyes, it always will be). The tail-lights and rear bumpers combine awkwardly, a messy arranged marriage of opposites that simply doesn’t gel. Three early cars? Well, is anyone outside of ‘Trump’-land really going to argue for the S3?Īnd, thanks to US federal laws, the less heavily molested S2 – but still with uncowled lamps, new bonnet, higher bumpers and desecrated tail and sidelights (and that’s before you explore the power steering on the options list or pick up a 171bhp twin-Stromberg car) – is a no-go too.Īs a former card-carrying sceptic myself – it has been a few years now, no lapses, still attending the meetings – the original list has shrunk and such inane dismissals as “it’s a GT not a proper sports car: too long, too heavy, etc” have been consigned to the bin (though at 2856lb –1295kg – it’s hardly a lightweight).īut some qualms remain. If the subject is the Jaguar E-type, the world’s most recognisable, most iconic classic car, odds-on the order would be: S1 roadster, S1 4.2 fixed-head coupé, ‘flat-floor’ S1 3.8. With the obvious options out of the way, player three will forlornly try to play a credible joker, a slightly more ‘difficult’ or purist choice that challenges the received wisdom and that they will justify at length, but whose real purpose is merely to demonstrate that they are able to mention something that no-one else has to date.Ī fiver says that if the topic put to our pub sages was the greatest Rolling Stones albums, the names would tumble out thus: Let it Bleed, then Beggars Banquet and finally Exile on Main St.

Whatever the subject, sit a handful of enthusiasts in a pub, drip-feed them a couple of pints and their conversation will play out thus: first comes the accepted view, based on a combination of conventional wisdom and limited personal experience then there is the cognoscenti choice, founded on a mix of slightly more information and pragmatism but, more importantly, demonstrating a greater knowledge than the previous speaker. Knowledge is a competitive sport: rarely more so than in a specialist field and never more than when traversing the pencil-thin lines between different degrees of brilliance. For the latest classic car news, features, buyer’s guides and classifieds, sign up to the C&SC newsletter here
