English
Italian
That Time That You Will Never Forget
JAGUAR E-TYPE
Words by Roberto Marrone
Photos by Jay Tomei (The Looking Glass)
I remember that day like it was yesterday, although now six or seven years have passed. It was the first time that I could ride my car, after the vicissitudes of the restoration suffered due to too many wrong people encountered along the way, now I could finally leave everything behind, license plate and insurance ready I was free to take it for a walk along a beautiful country road. The green was there too, although it was not the typical British grass. I admit, I was not comfortable in the narrow cockpit and had to use a pair of narrow shoes not to press two pedals at the same time, but every little discomfort is transformed instantly into a particular feature, in the space of a few moments it would be transformed into something special at first and then in a certain kind of good point – even having to move your knee to put the indicator. Madness? No. It’s just love that has roots long ago, it’s the toy effect – child/adult, I’ll explain, or at least I try doing so.
When in 1961 the E-Type was first introduced, I was still going to kindergarten, but only a few years later, thanks to Dinky Toys, I’ve seen it for the very first time and love was immediate. I must say that I was not even influenced by Diabolik, as my mother said that the comic was too violent (there were different times) and did everything for keepin’ me away from him, but years later I recovered several previous issues. That was not a time when you could find information or images, there were a very limited magazines and the car only made brief appearances in some movies, where you could only catch it once and the second later it was gone. I remember that I borrowed several times from my cousin Enrico (Quattroruote’s reader) the issue with some photos and test drive that took place in 1963, almost consuming those pages, even if at the time I could not understand the data, performance or specifications, but the pictures speak for themselves. In reality, though, another year passed before I got to see one live and when this happened, I was already well informed about the various series produced, also liking the 2+2 or the third series as far as it concerns toy models, while for the real one I remained in love with the pure beauty of the first series especially in coupe version, since the cabrio, in my opinion, lost that unique line given by the descending roof that seamlessly blends with the tail. I remember one, in a square of my city, white with red interior, cannot remember if they were the seats of the first series, it could also be a first series or a first and a half or a 4.2 MKI, but I am sure that the headlights were keeled, as in my model; I remember that aroused the admiration of passers-by, who knows if as happens today lot of people were used to say nonsense figures, or if they were only looking at it. I was with my uncle and it was not easy for him to make me leave in a few minutes, not even the classic promise to go for an ice cream worked.
Since that day, years have passed and not a few – time for the driving license, the first car, or rather, the usual cars, I hate some, others have left me indifferent, a little nostalgia for some other, I had several different models, too many different brands and when I got the first Jaguar my mind came back to it. Two other Jaguars, as long as the decision to seek it became inevitable, (you only live once and if there was reincarnation … you will not remember anything about your previous life, so it doesn’t count). Now here it is over fifty, but with a unique charm that transcends above everything with its beauty, also joyful in power and performance that make you forgive some inconvenience, which for us are accustomed to the ultra technology of today, if you are not real fans are hard to understand. Driving with the window open, a little ‘to accommodate the left arm, a little’ because if it’s hot it’s inevitable, but relaxed, listening to the voice of the six-cylinder, the suction of the three carburetors. Yes, drink well, drink what you want, I do not so we have a deal. I think back at the workshop that asked me to fit a stereo … what an heresy! Even if I am a musician, the music I want to hear is the one that comes from the heart of the feline with no disturbances. Then if the road permits, a good push on the throttle to hear it screaming, because above 4,000 rpm the sound changes again and it is fabulous. Grinding kilometers interspersed with some stops just to photograph it in the context of a beautiful landscape devoid of time references and to make it feel more comfortable I bought an English plate and that adds charisma too. During a break, a check to the engine, lifting the huge hood that includes the fenders and leaving in plain sight all the mechanics – which is also a very choreographic view. Snapping a few photos, taking advantage of the fact that the area is deserted, I realize that its forms are so beautiful and all thanks to Malcolm Sayer, Sir William Lyons and Bill Haynes. I’ll never be tired of thanking them.
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ASTON MARTIN DBS
Words by Antonio Iafelice
I open the door of the DBS pulling it slightly upwards, as patented by Aston Martin, and immediately my eye falls on the silver inscription “Hand built for Giancarlo” imprinted on the sill. In that moment I realize how the Aston Martin DBS in front of me is special, as much as its owner that precisely responds to the name of Giancarlo. I look at her, her blue on blue charming in its colors tone on tone, and Giancarlo, elegant in his London smoke gray suit, which in the meantime is posing near his beauty. Just that unexpected picture gives me the opportunity to understand how cars can look like their respective owners. Giancarlo is one of those people who gets along with his attitude. He is a person who even at one glance conveys elegance and good taste, which differs with details of style and is distinguished by an innate savoir faire, that you end up appreciating even more the moment you exchange a few words. Giancarlo gets the strength of his “stage presence” as a manager, but does not show off, he talks firmly but knows how to listen, he’s sharp and incisive but respectful in every way. Try to make a little game: take all the facets with which I have just described Giancarlo and try to associate them to the Aston Martin. The DBS is elegant, has details of style and has a unique savoir faire, you appreciate it even more driving it, it has a major presence but never embarrassing, it’s sharp in performance but without excess. The DBS and Giancarlo look alike in an almost embarrassing manner.
The place that welcomes us seems to be a perfect cross-section of a typical English countryside where a leaden sky and a blanket of yellowish leaves frame the stylish blue DBS. It is with this background that some stylistic peculiarities of the DBS stand out more as the louvers on the hood, the more pronounced side skirts with attached air vents and the large rear diffuser made of carbon fiber. At first it seems that the DBS lose a bit ‘of elegance if compared to the DB9 hence in favor of a more extreme sportiness, but it is not: it is not the innate elegance to fail, it is only a sportier look that comes out but in a completely calm way and only visible to the eyes of those who wants to see it. The desired sensation is the same: I sit in the seat well finished in soft blue leather and insert the key (which is not a proper key!) in the slot to give life to the DBS. In rapid succession in the small display integrated into the dash the words “Power, Beauty, Soul” appear, the tachometer comes alive with the needle that moves in the characteristic counter-clockwise direction and the two “Bang & Olufsen” tweeters emerge from the upper dashboard. But more than anything else the 517 hp come to life. The first thing that strikes me is the V12 and its incredible flexibility that allows the DBS to advance without any trouble even in the chaotic city traffic revealing a flexibility unthinkable for a car so powerful and allowing me and Giancarlo to proceed smoothly with a lovable conversation started just a moment ago. But the DBS is not only that, God forbid.
Time to get out of town and let the Aston Martin stop to play the supercar convenient and elegant role and turning into something more edgy and sharp. Taking a look at the speedometer and tachometer needles which almost “meet” at high speed gives me a quite original experience. And also the acoustics is certainly not outdone: an endless tunnel amplifies the already vigorous singing of the V12 that, under the throttle shots, leaves the field open to a husky voice that allows the inner soul of the DBS to come out. Suddenly we both stop chatting to enjoy the most visceral soul of DBS that woke up with his 517 hp that began to gallop. The DBS boasts 60 hp more than the DB9 and hence more than 65 kg less on the scales thanks to the adoption of carbon fiber for many components: the better power/weight ratio that emerges is all for the benefit of driving dynamics and the DBS soon proves to be a perfect grand tourer in the truest sense of the word.
The steering wheel is extremely straightforward and allows me to brush the curves with absolute precision, the engine always pushes strong and let you be hard on the gas pedal until you reach 6000 rpm, also a “magic” button on the console allows me to adjust the suspension response in a more rigid setting for an even more engaging driving pleasure. Simultaneously the cockpit gives me endless luxury (it’s appropriate to say) and let me drive comfortable and almost relaxed, feelings unthinkable for many competitors. The Gaydon creature by its nature does not want to be extreme and flashy as maybe the supercars built in Maranello, Sant’Agata Bolognese and Stuttgart, but want to ensure superb performance without giving up to first-class comfort. The DBS, for Giancarlo, is the perfect combination in only one supercar: beautiful and elegant in its sinuous shapes but never flashy beyond measure – with fast performance but without being surly and nervous, perfect for long trips thanks to an unthinkable comfort. For me, the DBS is a grand tourer for gourmets, for those who want everything without giving anything up. Remember the initial descriptions about Giancarlo and his DBS? Having driven with him in his Aston Martin let me understand the combination that can bind a person to his car and I can understand even more the relationship between a person who will always be special for me and his supercar “power, beauty, soul “.
That was the last time I drove an Aston Martin DBS and the last I saw Giancarlo.
I dedicate this memory to him.
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