60
T
he Jensen is a relative bargain, offering much of
theappealofaSeventiesAstonMartinbutwithout
anything like the stratospheric values now being
reachedby thecarsfromNewportPagnell.It’seasyto
beswayedbytheInterceptor’ssuavegoodlooksand
itseffortlessAmericanpower.
AttheotherendofthevaluescaletheGolfhasan
endearinglyeagercharacter,andif youcanfinda good
one,ownershipshouldn’tbetoodemanding because
theyaredurableandwellsupported.TheSaaboffers
aslightlymoregrown-upversionofthesametheme,withfail-
safefront-drivehandling,enoughperformancetobeinteresting,
anda quirky,individualdesign.TheMercedesdoesn’tfeelquite
asTeutonicallysolidasyoumight hope,butit hasanappealing
blendofrobustnessandelegance.
It’simpossibleto overlooktheFerrari.It may notbethepurest
expressionoftheMaranelloethosandsome ofitsflawsmight
grate,astheymight withany redcaroftheera.ButtheMondial
still feels special, and it has an ability toturn even the most
mundanejourneyinto anoccasion.
Butthe onethat stands outfor meisthe Alvis TD21.It’s a
usableclassicthatmakesa wonderfullyculturednoiseandoozes
classfr omeveryangle.There are otherclassics that are fasteror
cheaperortidierhandling,butnonecanquitematchtheAlvis’
panache.It’s undeniablycool,andhasallthequalityandappeal
ofrivalsfromLagondaora Bentley– butat a fractionoftheprice.
‘There are other classics that
are faster or cheaper or tidier
handling, but none can quite
match the Alvis’ panache’
Thanks to: Griffin Autotechniks (griffinsaab.co.uk), the VW Golf MkI Owners Club (vwgolfmk1.org.uk), Mike Wheeler at Rardley Motors (rardleymotors.com),
the Mercedes-Benz Club (mercedes-benz-club.co.uk), the Alvis Owner Club (alvisoc.org) and the Jensen Owners Club (joc.org.uk).
[The Big Test] Top Cabrios
