Enzo said

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daqinggregg

Original Poster:

3,093 posts

136 months

Saturday 22nd July 2023
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“Jaguar’s E-Type is the most beautiful car in the world.”

Enzo Ferrari

We’ve all seen this quoted many times, when, where and in what context, did Ferrari say this.



TGCOTF-dewey

5,860 posts

62 months

Saturday 22nd July 2023
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It's not even the best drummer in the beatles. C and D types are much prettier cars just within jaguar's stable.

catso

14,854 posts

274 months

Saturday 22nd July 2023
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Praise indeed, unlike Giorgetto Giugiaro's comment regarding the TR7 styling - “My god! They’ve done the same on this side as well".

Gemaeden

296 posts

122 months

Saturday 22nd July 2023
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catso said:
Praise indeed, unlike Giorgetto Giugiaro's comment regarding the TR7 styling - “My god! They’ve done the same on this side as well".
The story I heard, from someone in the design office, was that the head of BL came in to approve the final design, saw it, took a pencil and added the curve saying, "I think it would look better with something like this."

RichB

52,776 posts

291 months

Saturday 22nd July 2023
quotequote all
daqinggregg said:
“Jaguar’s E-Type is the most beautiful car in the world.” Enzo Ferrari
We’ve all seen this quoted many times, when, where and in what context, did Ferrari say this?
There is, however, some debate as to whether he actually ever said it.

4rephill

5,067 posts

185 months

Saturday 22nd July 2023
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RichB said:
daqinggregg said:
“Jaguar’s E-Type is the most beautiful car in the world.” Enzo Ferrari
We’ve all seen this quoted many times, when, where and in what context, did Ferrari say this?
There is, however, some debate as to whether he actually ever said it.
There's no actual record of him ever saying it, and he supposedly said it in 1961, when the E-type was unveiled.

In the 27 years after allegedly making the statement, until his death in 1988, Enzo Ferrari never repeated it, not even once (by the same token, he never denied ever saying it in the same period either)

Gazzone

36 posts

152 months

Sunday 23rd July 2023
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TGCOTF-dewey said:
It's not even the best drummer in the beatles. C and D types are much prettier cars just within jaguar's stable.
Can’t agree with you on the D, I think they’re decidedly frumpy.
But the C and the Series 1 FHC E Type, bite-the-back-of-your-hand.
Just gorgeous.

To each his own though…

daqinggregg

Original Poster:

3,093 posts

136 months

Sunday 23rd July 2023
quotequote all
“Jaguar’s E-Type is the most beautiful car in the world.” This is of course subjective. I have seen many articles and videos, where it is claimed that Ferrari said this, some including, Autocar stating it as fact.

I know this thread has many knowledgeable Jaguar enthusiasts, how likely do you think it would be for Ferrari to state this, bearing in mind that Jaguar was at the time serious competitor on track to Ferrari.

aeropilot

36,603 posts

234 months

Sunday 23rd July 2023
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daqinggregg said:
I know this thread has many knowledgeable Jaguar enthusiasts, how likely do you think it would be for Ferrari to state this, bearing in mind that Jaguar was at the time serious competitor on track to Ferrari.
But they weren't by the time the E-Type came out as Jaguar had withdrew from racing in 1956?

vpr

3,795 posts

245 months

Sunday 23rd July 2023
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It is subjective, of course it is.
But what an amazing creation, a sight to behold back in the grey days of 61.
Imagine tipping up at Geneva when it was launched and seeing the Etype popping out.

The haters are obviously a vast minority or it wouldn’t have been the success it was and indeed still is. Firmly in one of the greatest automotive designs ever.

I look back to when I was a nipper, I could not see the love for the S1 with its skinny underwheeled proportions (maybe because my dad bought himself a new V12???)

But now I love it for the skinny inboard wheels, it’s what makes it for me. (Now that I’m older and wiser)


aeropilot

36,603 posts

234 months

Sunday 23rd July 2023
quotequote all
vpr said:
I look back to when I was a nipper, I could not see the love for the S1 with its skinny underwheeled proportions (maybe because my dad bought himself a new V12???)

But now I love it for the skinny inboard wheels, it’s what makes it for me. (Now that I’m older and wiser)
Yeah, maybe childhood judgment clouded by Dad's choice laugh

Without such a luxury, as a sixties child with an E-Type obsession, my love for the Jag waned as the S1 became the S2 with exposed headlights, and pretty much died with the fat and ugly S3 coming out.
But by then, I was obsessing about Cobra's instead after seeing one getting thrashed up the road from Thames Ditton one summer's day........

A S1 FHC is still a fabulous looking thing though.

uk66fastback

16,930 posts

278 months

Sunday 23rd July 2023
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aeropilot said:
A S1 FHC is still a fabulous looking thing though.
True, it is. I love the skinny-tyred look as well …

lowdrag

13,033 posts

220 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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Did he say it? In all my years in the Jaguar world I have never seen any reference to where and when, let alone if. However, it is also stated that "the Bentley 3 litre was "The fastest lorry in the world" which I believe was attributed to Ettore Bugatti. But again, I find no definite proof. I put both down to hearsay. Not an outside lock car, but still one of the earliest, a 1961 flat floor, one I have now owned not far short of forty years



Edited by lowdrag on Monday 24th July 08:21

Mark A S

1,902 posts

195 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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I believe he was also reported as saying that the Willy's Jeep was America's finest sports car wink
Clearly he had a great SOH smile

williamp

19,563 posts

280 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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catso said:
Praise indeed, unlike Giorgetto Giugiaro's comment regarding the TR7 styling - “My god! They’ve done the same on this side as well".
..this coming from the man who designsd the morris Ital. And had if named after his company

vpr

3,795 posts

245 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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williamp said:
catso said:
Praise indeed, unlike Giorgetto Giugiaro's comment regarding the TR7 styling - “My god! They’ve done the same on this side as well".
..this coming from the man who designsd the morris Ital. And had if named after his company
Indeed.
I love watching people slate various cars only to see on their profile that they own a piece of hideous history.

a8hex

5,830 posts

230 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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aeropilot said:
A S1 FHC is still a fabulous looking thing though.
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and to me it's the roadster/drop top with is the real beauty.

lowdrag said:
So thank you Lowdrag for sharing.

But then again I love the look of the D-Type
Gazzone said:
Can’t agree with you on the D, I think they’re decidedly frumpy.
But the C and the Series 1 FHC E Type, bite-the-back-of-your-hand.
Just gorgeous.

To each his own though…
But when it comes to Ds you need to ask which one since they kept messing about it with the design, hey it's a race car and it's going to evolve or die.
The XKSS is truly a thing of beauty too.
I'd not say no to an SS100 either biggrin

If Enzo ever actually made the comment I'd suspect it would have been on first sight at Geneva, as 4rephill says he never denied it, probably just a comment in passing which was never intended for posterity. Kind of a "wish I'd done that" before moving on.

catso

14,854 posts

274 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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a8hex said:
Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder and to me it's the roadster/drop top with is the real beauty.

lowdrag said:
So thank you Lowdrag for sharing.
Agreed, that is a real beauty. thumbup

lowdrag

13,033 posts

220 months

Monday 24th July 2023
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My two D-types. short and long nose. I have always been a lover of the first of the range, an XK120 compared to the XK150, the 1961 3.8 E-type to the V12, and here the short to the long nose.



Both have done the Alps, but the easiest to own is surely the XKSS which I have now. The proper screen and the luxury of wipers make touring so much easier


lowdrag

13,033 posts

220 months

Monday 24th July 2023
quotequote all
But the ugliest of them all? Without doubt my C-type.



A project I just had to build, but I never liked it.