The Jaguar E-type is arguably the most instantly recognisable classic car. But does this '60s icon have a modern-day equivalent, asks Andrew Kerr
My grandmother was the only person in my family to ever make money from cars.
An occasional driver, she began renting out the garage of her family home in the 1940s, when a few extra bob went a long way. Late in life, it was more out of habit than for the income that she housed two Jaguar E-type coupés. The owner paid her a pittance in arrears and complained about damp in winter.
Fuelled by a mix of curiosity and apprehension, I would tinker with the Jags on weekend visits. Yes, these cars were fascinating to a teenager but at the time I didn’t appreciate their iconic status as much as those who had witnessed the E-type’s birth back in 1961.
It’s a different story today. In fact, as Mark Szewczyk peels off the Pacific Highway in his faultlessly restored 1963 car and reverses into The Classic Throttle Shop’s North Sydney showroom, I could almost imagine myself owning an ‘E’. Low-slung with that impossibly long nose, the E-type is an exercise in showmanship, yet Mark leaves the car without fuss, as if he has just parked a Corolla.
In its day, an E-type was considered something of a bargain, with claimed 150mph performance at well below the cost of its key rival, the Aston Martin DB4.
What I want to know is this: Does any new car have the same visual appeal and desirability as this seminal sports car enjoyed in its heyday? Does any modern car have similar impact but without a supercar price tag? Is there really such a thing as a modern-day E-type...?
Mark recalls lusting after a V12 E-type at high school until he saw a Series 1 car: “Ever since, I wanted an early one – a 3.8 fixed head coupé with the aluminium dash and centre console.”
The car he eventually bought was built in November 1962, shipped to Australia the following month and sold as a 1963 model. It has remained on Sydney’s North Shore all its life despite three changes of ownership.
“The car popped up for sale in 2003 and I had it flown to Christchurch, New Zealand for restoration in 2004,” he tells me. “It was completed in 2006 and flown back again.”
His most memorable trip was leaving Sydney on a cool, clear May evening and driving to Mudgee. At one point, with the lights dim in the cockpit and engine noise as intrusive as ever, he felt he could have been flying an old Spitfire.
He probably wished he had been when condensation temporarily reduced his visibility to zero!
“I think it’s beautiful from every angle,” concludes Mark, informing me that designer Malcolm Sayer was a pioneering aerodynamicist who designed earlier Jaguar sports cars using logarithms. There’s real method behind those curvaceous haunches.
Edward Rowe is the PR manager for local Maserati distributor, Ateco Automotive. The Maserati GranTurismo he is parking looks incredibly expensive and some will argue it has million dollar looks. Its sleek shape was fine-tuned in a wind tunnel.
Personalisation is the name of the game with these cars and Edward shows off the Maserati’s bespoke interior. Customers get to select combinations of cabin materials from a suitcase of leather and carpet samples. The GranTurismo is a genuine four-seater and an open-top ‘Spyder’ is tipped for production.
The Ferrari-derived 4.3-litre V8 is smooth and quiet at low speeds as the car is manoeuvred for photographs. Edward delivers something of a revelation, insisting the GranTurismo is, strictly speaking, a mid-engined car as the entire drivetrain sits between the axle lines to improve weight balance. He raises the lightweight aluminium bonnet to illustrate the point and sure enough, the motor is set well back behind large air intakes and items shrouded by plastic.
There’s a lot to take in with the GranTurismo’s athletic shape, from that exaggerated grille and recessed headlights to the ample, round wheel arches and elegant rear end with broad, angular lamp clusters. It looks muscular, almost predatory, beside the delicate and sensual lines of the Jaguar. The proportions are exquisite, and beautiful details and Maserati motifs from yesteryear abound, like the emblem on the slender C-pillars and the chrome vents on the front guards above Pininfarina badging.
As is Maserati tradition, an analogue clock sits in the centre of the dashboard, and the marque’s trident logo is embossed in the headrests of the leather seats.
So, is the modern day E-type a V8-engined GT car built by a rejuvenated Italian marque?
I thought bringing the two cars together would help me reach an instant verdict but I spend some time deliberating. The Mercedes-Benz SL also strikes me as a contender, although the current SL’s looks don’t quite have the necessary drama, and I’m not convinced there is a true candidate in the current Jaguar range. Nissan’s dramatic GT-R delivers incredible bang for buck but is surely too hard-edged.
I ask Mark Szewczyk if there’s a modern car that appeals to him in the same way as his E-type. He pauses and half-heartedly suggests the Ferrari 599GTB – “a traditional Ferrari with a V12 up front”. But that car’s sticker price is $650,000. The $298,800 GranTurismo suddenly seems very good value. No wonder it outsold its rivals from Mercedes and Jaguar last year.
That seals it. In my opinion the Maserati is as close as you can get to a modern E-type but it still can’t be described as such. It has ample style, performance and desirability, and the specialness of a low-volume GT car. But parked next to the E-type this morning, it casts a bigger shadow on the showroom floor yet attracts much less attention than the 1963 car. A modern-day E-type should attract as much limelight as the original.
Open Road March/April 2009
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