1961-1967 Jaguar series 1 E-type coupes
Film: “Danger: Diabolik”, 1968, Mario Bava. E-Types are driven by stars John Phillip Law and Marissa Mell.
The E-Type is this year celebrating it’s 50th birthday. The hands-down all time most iconic, stylish, innovative, phallus-on-wheels of a brilliant car. The body was designed by aerodynamicist, Malcolm Sayer using only logarithms and is an essay in ellipses, beautific form and the point at which mathematics meets unadulterated visceral physical sensuousness. Everyone needs one.Tie: Le Mans-winning Jaguar C-Type and D-Type race cars.
Film: A short documentary about Le Mans, title unknown. (Click on the title link for the Youtube video; “1956 Le Mans- Mike Hawthorn Jaguar OnBoard Lap”).
Very few C-Types and D-Types in existence – only 52 C-Types ever built and not many more D-Types. Values, $600,000 – $3M and beyond. Either model is the quintessential “f**k off” car. Shows complete command of the English language and Rennaisance Man/Woman-levels of connoisseurship. Transcends tedious notions of cool. It’s art, it’s history.Early 1961 Jaguar Mk II
Film: “Withnail and I”, 1987, Bruce Robintson. Mark II driven by Paul McGann, co-starring Richard E Grant.
Timeless, nicely patina-ed, only one headlight. Along with the 1968 Jaguar XJ Mk I and the 2010 XJ, the best looking sedans ever built, bar none.Aston Martin DB3S (1950’s)
Film: “School for Scoundrels”, 1960, Robert Hammer. Aston Martin driven by Terry-Thomas.
Very nice sports cars. Almost as good as Jaguar’s equivalents, but lacking the innovation and futuristic quality of Jaguar in the 1950s and 1960s. Despite Aston’s higher price tag, the Jag is always the connoisseur’s choice. Also, the Jag is marginally more of a babe-magnet. Astons, lovely cars though – hard to fault, except maybe in being slightly heavy. Astons suffer the ‘James Bond wannabe factor’. Hard to compete with Sean Connery or Daniel Craig. But then, if you own a DBS you probably have more money than either, so you’re probably good to go. Pre-1960’s Astons, such as this, leave their driver exempt from the particular cultural albatross of constantly having to do bad Sean Connery impersonations every time they hit the start button and incessantly needing to call drive-thru bank tellers and girls who work at beer barns on Columbia, “Miss Moneypenny”.1968 BSA Lightning
Film: “If”,1968, Lindsay Anderson. The BSA is stolen from a motorcycle dealership in the film and is ridden by Malcolm McDowell.
One of many iconic British parallel twin 650s. The tank badge and the vibration from a Brit parallel twin alone are a guaranteed aphrodisiac. A similar bike was owned by Hunter S Thompson and myself. I kept mine next to my bed for marital purposes.
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