By Angus Frazer
This story originally appeared in the July/August 2017 issue of Elite Traveler.
From the timeless to the technologically fantastic, we have selected the very best in automobile innovation. Highlighting the classic cars that created a legend, alongside the latest offerings on the road that will turn heads, our rundown of top cars is sure to inspire those in the market for a new ride.
Jaguar
ENGLAND, 1922
Today Jaguar is part of Britain’s biggest car manufacturer, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC, which boasts annual sales of over half a million vehicles. Jaguar can trace its history back to the Swallow Sidecar Company founded by William Walmsley and William (later Sir William) Lyons in 1922. The first cars, the SS I and the SS II were unveiled at the London Motor Show of 1931. The Jaguar name, suggested by the company’s advertising agency, was added in 1935, and then in 1948 SS Jaguar models became simply Jaguars. It was the belief of Sir William Lyons that every car Jaguar made should combine performance and beauty like no other, an ethos that still holds true today. jaguar.com
E-Type
CLASSIC
Related
When Britain’s Telegraph newspaper printed a list of the 100 most beautiful cars in 2008, Jaguar’s E-Type came in at number one, receiving almost more than four times as many votes as any other vehicle. Enzo Ferrari famously described the E-Type as “the most beautiful car” when he saw it at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show. With its elegant flowing lines and 150mph top speed, its appeal was universal. Celebrities eager to get behind the wheel included Steve McQueen, Brigitte Bardot, Tony Curtis, Britt Ekland, George Best, and George Harrison—the only quandary they faced was whether they considered the roadster or the coupe to be the more beautiful of the pair.
I-PACE Concept
MODERN
Car manufacturers like to steal the limelight at motor shows with concept cars that hint at what the firm might produce in the future. However, Jaguar says that its I-PACE Concept, unveiled at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, sends out a much more definite message than that. The company describes the vehicle as a preview of Jaguar’s first all-electric five-seater sports car and confirms that it will be made available to customers in the second half of 2018. Ian Callum, Jaguar’s director of design, promises that the I-PACE “will demonstrate that an electric vehicle can be a driver’s car and excite the senses.”
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THE I-PACE CONCEPT IN NUMBERS
On sale late 2018
Seats 5
Torque 700Nm
Electric range 310 miles
0-60mph approximately 4.0 seconds
