Jaguar World – July 2019

50 |JaguarWorld/July 2019

CLASSICDRIVE

S2E-TYPE

gear,andthereisenoughaccelerationto
buildonthespeed.
Arrivingatatightleft-hander,thethree-
potcalipersbringmycarefullyworkedup
speeddown,butIdownshiftintosecond,
grabahandfulofrevsandambackonit
again.I’vesurprisedmyselfathowquick
we’recoveringthegroundonthese‘point-
and-squirt’roads;theseroadshavelotsof
bendsandafewdecentstraights,socoming
outofabend,Ijustpointthecarand
accelerate.Infact,I’mhavingalotoffun.
WestopforlunchatthecharmingHare
&HoundsinStoughton,whereitissaid
that(Sir)StirlingMossusedtostopen
routetoGoodwood.Overasandwich,Itry
tomakesenseofsomething;wouldIhave
hadmorefunalongtheseroadsinthevery
bestSeries1?Myhonestanswerhasto
beno,andIadmitittoJohn,pleasedthat

embellishingthetruthisunnecessary.For

sheerdrivingability,thiscardelivers.

Itisuptotheownerwhichwaytogo

withhiscar,butitwouldbeatravestyof

commonsensetoturnthisintoanother

blinged-upbeauty.However,ifasetof

triplecarburettorscamealong,whynot?

Orpossiblyconverttofuelinjection.Yet

thesequestionsarealmostirrelevant.

Isowningthiscarwithopenheadlights

andall-roundbumperssuchabadthing,

especiallygiventhatitsvalueisabout 25

percentofatopSeries1?Idon’tthinkso.

Perhapsthefinalwordsshouldbeleft

toacharmingyoungladywhopassedby.

Sheasksifweownthecar,addingthat

itis,“ThemostbeautifulthingIhave

everseen.”Whatoftheheadlightsand

bbbuuummmpppeeerrrsssnnnooowww???JP

ABOVE:Interiorisingoodshape.Noterocker
switchersintheinstrumentpanel,whichreplaced
thepossiblyhazardoustoggleswitches
ABOVERIGHT:Engineisuntouchedandstarted
firsttimeafter 40 years

AyoungJohnHooper

getsbehindthewheel

ofanE-typeforthe

firsttime