JAGUAR E-TYPE REVEALED AS BEST BRITISH
CAR EVER AT CLASSIC & SPORTS CAR – THE LONDON SHOW
·
Following
a worldwide public vote, the Jaguar E-type has been revealed as the Best
British Car Ever at the inaugural Classic & Sports Car – The London Show
·
The
E-type beat nine other British icons to the title including the Mini Cooper S,
McLaren F1, Bentley Speed Six and Lotus Seven
·
All
ten finalists are appearing at the show in a £40m centrepiece sponsored by car
care and valeting specialist, Autoglym
·
Classic
& Sports Car – The London Show features 300 of the world’s most prestigious classic cars
with a celebration
of Aston Martin in partnership with EFG International, display of Sir Stirling
Moss single-seaters and an Interview Stage featuring Ross Brawn OBE among many celebrity
guests
·
Inaugural show runs from 30th October to 1st
November 2015 at Alexandra Palace, tickets available on the door, further
information at www.classicandsportscarshow.com
London, 30th October
The wait is finally over and the
answer to the question on the lips of every car enthusiast has been answered:
the Best British Car Ever is the Jaguar E-type, revealed today at Classic &
Sports Car – The London Show.
It’s the climax to a six-month
process of selection and voting which has seen ten British icons battle to be
named the car that people hold closest to their hearts. Today, that winner was
revealed, with the wraps pulled off a fittingly special E-type as Classic &
Sports Car – The London Show opened its doors to the public at Alexandra
Palace.
Interview Stage special guest Ant
Anstead, who has recently presented the BBC’s Building Cars Live, took the Autoglym cover off to reveal ‘77 RW’ –
the oldest-surviving open E-type and the original car that Norman Dewis OBE,
another Interview Stage guest, drove from Coventry almost non-stop to the
Geneva Motor Show for its worldwide debut in March 1961.
The Series 1 3.8-litre car was built in in February
1961 as the first production two-seater and, as well as starring on the Geneva
show stand, was a press demonstrator, used by The Motor for its road test, published 22 March 1961. In 2000, Mr
Michael Kilgannon, the long-term owner, put ‘77 RW’ on permanent loan to the Jaguar
Daimler Heritage Trust. The car was then completely restored with the assistance
of Martin Robey Limited of Nuneaton.
From today until Sunday 1st
November, this particular E-type will feature in a £40m centrepiece display,
sponsored by car care and valeting specialist Autoglym, featuring the top ten
British cars.
Earlier this year, Classic & Sports Car – the
world’s best-selling classic car magazine – asked a jury of more than 100
motoring experts, including McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray, Lotus head of
design Russell Carr and former Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, to come up with
the shortlist of 10 cars. Their nominations ranged from the affordable car that
put the nation on wheels, the Austin Seven, to the McLaren F1, the most
uncompromised high-performance car ever built.
For stage two that shortlist (which also included the
original Range Rover, Lotus Seven, Jaguar XKSS, Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, Ford
GT40, Mini Cooper S, Bentley Speed Six and Jaguar E-type) was put to a
worldwide public poll. And thousands cast their votes with the E-type the
overall winner.
As you might expect, the
E-type was a big favourite with the expert panel. Gordon Murray praised its “classic styling and advanced
engineering”, while Russell Carr nominated it for its “projectile
styling” which, he said, “has real speed and sophistication with that dramatic
long bonnet and cab rearward proportions.”
Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler singled out the
E-type’s combination of style and value for money: “It was the most beautiful car ever
made, according to Enzo Ferrari, a lot less expensive and a lot better than the
competition, too.” It was a feeling summed up by commentator, Simon Taylor: “Not only the fastest and most beautiful
supercar of its day, but also miraculously half or one-third of the price of
the cars that it pulverised. If they'd only made 75, instead of 75,000, they'd
be auctioned today for Ferrari GTO money.”
James Elliott, Classic & Sports Car
magazine group editor, said: "The E-type has it all, looks to stop traffic
and a driving experience that has stood the test of time. When it was new you
could not have bought more style and performance for the price. It is a car
that continues to seduce young and old and is a very worthy winner. It’s very
fitting that a great British brand like Autoglym has been so closely involved
with celebrating our country’s iconic motoring heritage and I hope visitors to
Alexandra Palace enjoy this display as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it
together.”
John Edwards, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover
Special Operations, said: “This a fantastic accolade for one of Jaguar’s most
recognisable models ever built. Jaguar’s Heritage business aims to support
loyal and passionate customers so that models such as the E-type can continue to
be maintained and enjoyed across the generations. The fact that it has captured
the most votes in a global public vote is a testament to its status as one of
the world’s most iconic sportscars and now, officially, as the Best British Car
Ever.”
Classic & Sports Car – The London
Show features more than 300 of the world’s most prestigious classic cars from
world-famous collectors and world-renowned classic car retailers. Organised by Classic
& Sports Car, the world’s best-selling classic car magazine, The London
Show includes a celebration of Aston Martin in partnership with EFG
International, an exhibition of Sir
Stirling Moss’ most iconic single-seater competition cars and a
star-studded Interview Stage featuring Ross Brawn OBE, Ant Anstead and David
Brabham among a host of other celebrity guests from the world of motoring and
motorsport.
Visit www.classicandsportscarshow.com for more information. Tickets for Classic &
Sports Car – The London Show are still available on the door.
SOURCE: Influence Associates
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