Beauty and the beholder

THANKS FOR an excellent cover feature in Octane 201 comparing the 1960s E-type and the 911, including some exceptionally good photography. And a great issue too, seemingly tailored to my personal ’50s/’60s nostalgia, with references to Bayko model buildings, the Eagle comic, Timex watches and the Sharknose Ferraris.

Steeped in the national pride commonly felt in the 1950s and early ’60s, as an 11-year-old petrolhead I was thrilled by the E-type on its launch. But, six years later, the second car I drove after passing my test was a 356, and that was even more of a motoring lifetime high point.

I have since lived alongside the development of the 356’s successor and been astounded to see that the 911 has mostly managed to retain the purity of its original concept as the sports car for everyday use. My only caveat? The more recent bulking-up of dimensions and mass.

But that was a downside of the Jaguar right from its initial presentation. That long bonnet always seemed ungainly to my eye, and I eventually found that this was not merely a matter of aesthetics. In 1974 I drove a V12 at Brands Hatch on a very wet and chilly day. And, yes, I was intimidated by that great expanse of bonnet; and, yes, I was quite unsettled to discover that if you were sufficiently brave to retain enough speed through Paddock and up the hill, all you needed to do to negotiate Druids was lift off and hope your opposite locking was taking effect quickly enough!

Of course, a 911 can also expose any gaps in your driving ability. But that is an element that positively contributes towards the pleasure in the ownership of such cars. Both the 911 and E-type ‘support’ learning about what polar moment of inertia means.

That said, the 991.2 Carrera S I drove last year was astonishing in its stability, handling and braking capabilities. Indeed, the only thing that did not render me an excited juvenile once more was my walk round and survey of its lines. A longer walk than I expected and an unhappiness with the cluttered look of the engine cover and rear ‘bumper’, an area of the early cars that was so much more svelte.

David Buckden, Kent