Monday, November 24, 2008

Coolest cars of all time! Part One.





For me the sixties and seventies was a halcyon age for automotive design, well for design in general to be honest. Each manufacturer imbued there cars with a particular look and style that was uniquely their own. They weren't limited by the requirements of today's consumer and so they were able to inject real personality into their design.
For me one of the best looking cars of all time is the Jensen Interceptor, just the name evokes something fast and deadly, though not deadly to drive. Jensen was one of those legendary British companies that built stylish and totally individual cars, some like Bristol are still making cars today though their exclusivity not to mention eccentricity means that they have a low profile.
The Jensen Interceptor is the sort of car a 1970s TV superhero would be driving as he pulls up to a Mayfair townhouse to attend a cocktail party. This is a sort of car that demands you wear a pair of calf skin driving gloves before you even touch the steering wheel. I love the single piece of curved glass that formed the large back window. It made it look kind of futuristic in the 1970s and would be adopted by Renault in their nasty but nice Fuego. The Interceptor had a very powerful V12 engine and handled superbly for a car of it's size and power. Being a semi hand built car the standard of trim in the cabin was very high.

These cars are still very highly prized today and sell for high prices. I have seen two for sale in Australia recently, both circa 1974 and apparently in good condition. One was selling for $40,000+, the other for $16,500 was snapped up damn quick.

No comments: