British Cars Make this World a Better Place
Words by Alessandro Marrone
Photos by Matteo Ravelli
I’m a lucky guy, and I am not mentioning the famous hit by Italian singer (sort of) Jovanotti (which I do not like one bit), but the simple fact that I was born and grown up in a family which has always lived and breathed for cars, in particular for British cars. And so, being on the other side of the fence compared to the average Italian enthusiasts, who only worship Ferrari, some of my first words were Jaguar models, or Lotus and Aston Martin. I could not wish for more, but like in all fairy tales, there is always that dark enemy ready to ruin the dream-like atmosphere that live in the dreams of a grown-up child. In this case, these “enemies” have materialized in the precarious reliability of classic British cars (and as classics I mean both vintage ones and the production until the end of the 90s), and into the forced transformation of English car makers into some sort of hybrids, which have been made strong and more useable in everyday life, from business mergers with large German brands before, and Indians later (if we talk about Jaguar).
The story of the “Jaguar” is something fascinating: we have even dedicated a book to it (which you can order from our website, ed), we’re talkin’ about times of pioneers, founders of the first automakers that were authentic heroes and not simply marketing men in an elegant suits. When I mention the word Jaguar, I can’t but immediately think to a whole host of memories and emotions experienced on board, maybe in the back seats, just like when sitting behind my father, I was holding a steering wheel of an old Triumph and I pretended to drive on my own. I’m sure many of you understand what I mean, and so this day organized in Porto Venere, along with some friends from the SupercarSafari gang, meant something more than just a working day, provided that having the best job in the world, can be considered as a daily routine. And so, along with two Jaguar’s ambassadors of the modern era, the post-Ford era, we have added an historical Lotus Esprit, a ’96 S4. A modern classic, a timeless shape for thousands of reasons, which despite being driven by Roger Moore in a famous James Bond movie, has much more to say and to give, and it shows that as soon as it makes its entrance on stage, with the most typical and iconic supercar’s layout: mid-engine and two large spoilers. Do you need anything else? I do not think so.
We played dice with fate and challenged the most pessimistic weather forecasts that even gave heavy rain tending to some storm and we found ourselves in a big parking lot in the centre of La Spezia. Sauro is the first to arrive, immediately characterizing the day awaiting us with his XKR-S, which is the most powerful street legal Jaguar around. In a bunch of seconds, a group of people who were there for their business, surrounds the Smurf blue big cat, or French Racing Blue, if you want to be precise. Then Andrea, driving his F-Type Coupe and finally Emanuele, with the Lotus. We do not waste time and leave the city traffic towards Porto Venere, where we are going to have a busy day of shots. Some slalom between cars and the scooters that invade the city, everyone turns and looks haggard the din that the three British ladies make while crossing the streets. Photographer Matteo Ravelli starts taking pictures without any pause, aware that the time available will fly relentless and I, for once, I’m enjoying the day almost as if I were a spectator. I chat with our friends at SupercarSafari, I’m entertained by the extravagant comments of passersby, who in addition to think that among the three cars there was a BMW, pose the usual crazy questions, which can’t but make you smile. The great thing about having cars out of the ordinary is that they build an insane halo of curiosity, but at the same time they imply people approaching for asking all sorts of questions. The heart of Porto Venere is the first stage for our photos, then we enter the harbor, until the strip of land ends against a cliff and from there you can behold how the sea enters into the small town near La Spezia. More and more looks are attracted by the three graces, polished and gleaming better than ever, waiting to stretch their legs on some road that allows to engage something more than the second gear. Photos like these speak for themselves and among the typical small port noises and the breeze of a sea that forewarns a little ‘storm, I take this opportunity to touch my future driving and adventures companions, the fantastic leather gloves signed “The Outlierman“. The material is outstanding, soft leather with contrast stitching and an elegant and functional design, especially the model that leaves the fingertips uncovered. Just enough time to find my size that Sauro and Emanuele have already found their two blue pairs; blue like their English babies. We move from one pier to another for more detailed shots and then, finally, it is time to start up the engines and get out of the restricted traffic zone, heading towards an area more suitable for a bit ‘of bustling traffic.
Photographer in the trunk and straight on the coastal road leading west. The three ladies, who only moments ago were parading elegant and quiet as the best models that a fashion designer could wish for, are transforming and emphasizing their Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde bipolar character. The noise in the air arises and the smell of burning rubber too. I enjoy the spectacle of Sauro attacking every bend as if it was his own worst enemy, raping his Jaguar and putting it sideways as a proper advertising should be, instead of explaining how many infotainment devices a car has. We want to see how bad and fast a car is, we don’t care about iPhone connectivity! With a supercharged 5-liter V8 and 550 horsepower, not even the most faithful etiquette player would matter. This guy, in his garage, has a fleet of V8 and V10, so what do you think? Andrea is not far behind, and worn his personal leather gloves, turns up the volume of his F-Type, certainly the most elegant of the three with those sinuous lines that pay homage to the mother of all Jaguar, the immortal E-Type. The 3.0cc outputs 340 horsepower at low and also at high revs, emitting a deeper sound than the primal cream of the XKR-S, characterized by crackles of the exhaust when coasting or shifting. Planted on the ground, the F-Type would be the ideal new car for Agent 007, if he should decide to abandon the Aston Martin badge, while keeping a style that combines sportiness and elegance. Red outside and inside, enhancing the personality of its owner, always careful to every detail, and this seems right and obvious, a proper benchmark since it represents some of the best accessories for amplifying your driving experience. The F-Type has smaller dimensions than the thickest XKR-S and features, both externally and in the cabin, the new aspects of the English House, which thus takes another step forward, towards a future that will surely be full of more satisfactory and exciting models. These two English coupe are so similar but yet so different from Jaguars of the past: these are two cars, two “machines” so perfect and good in everything, that anyone who has had the opportunity to own a vintage Jaguar, won’t recognize them as such. That’s why we wanted with us an ideal “Made in England” sports car in the best way you can think at one: a Lotus, which albeit comes from the late 90s, smells of those years in which you had to dirt your hands every time you wanted to get a ride in it. Yes, because there would always be something to tighten, loosen, adjust within its engine, or under its body. Every trip, doesn’t matter if long or short, would surely have hidden some unexpected trick, some light on the instrument panel or some loss of fluids, but that should has been standard routine. It was and had to be like this, ‘cause only in this way, your experience would has been British as we intend it. And so, here it is, low, wide and with those immortal lines, which in the course of its long life has changed so little, from sharp edges to softer curves, enriched with spoilers and increasingly important engine upgrades. Emanuele’s S4 Turbo is an object that passes through space and time as a very few cars are able to do. Conceived and designed for the deepest driving pleasure, and finished for simply being a beautiful car, the Esprit has within itself all the “joys and sorrows” of a British sports top notch. Thanks to its engineering skills and the philosophy behind the whole project, this very Esprit is one of the best 2.0cc you can possibly find, with 250 horsepower and an engine longitudinally placed in the middle of the body, just like the pattern that a supercar require. The Turbo is there and when it decides to play, you surely feel it, but the thing that you’re gonna appreciate more while driving, is that constant burden that the driver lives, result of stiff pedals and the raw and rough mechanical linkages, feelings that modern sports cars have now lost in the name of daily marketability and ease of driving. If you think this might be a defect, you’re wrong, in fact it is rather one of the aspects that most satisfies Emanuele, that every time possible dedicate himself to it, plunging 100% into this British spirit that here reaches its absolute peak.
Comparing generations, different cars for layout, performance, age and construction philosophy. On one hand a latest generation coupe with a generous 6-cylinder engine that can take you comfortably on long journeys or having fun through the corners of a coastal road; the second is the bigger flashy and noisy sister that always wants to shout the power of its eight cylinders, its handling and a reactivity more suitable to a more compact GT, but in the hands of its fledgling driver, wants at all costs to touch the real edge of its performance, and of course, go beyond it. Finally there is it, this Esprit that absolutely hides its 20 years. All three are willing to grind kilometers and experience many other adventures, each in their own way, perhaps some on track smoking the tires, or those who want to add to the speedometer miles of adventures and new friendships, holding the steering wheel with those gloves representing not only his own work, but a real passion. Or at the Nürburgring, again, this time without the little Elise, but with the Lotus that sanctified the genius of Colin Chapman, another great pioneer, another great hero. Another British mate that made the automobile world a better place for us fans.