Editorial

Detailed reading of Christie’s forthcoming Paris Rétromobile sale catalogue reveals entries from two marques once the epitome of style and elegance (and value, practicality and performance too), that have struggled for worldwide sales in the 21^st Century for reasons of marketing appeal and discerned quality. I’m talking about Jaguar and Alfa Romeo.

The XK120 shook the world with its svelte lines and prodigious performance (proved again and again on the racetrack), while Alfa Romeo continued the tradition of the late pre-war period of building bespoke GT cars suitable for a discerning European elite. Cars such as the 1950 6C 2500 SS ‘Tubulare’ you see as our teaser picture for the auction preview below. Jaguar appear to be drawing back from the mass market with their new XK, while Alfa have just announced new production models that you can also read about today.

The newly-formed Alfa Romeo/Maserati alliance has a mighty engine in the V8 that powers the Quattroporte. Come on Alfa, how about a 2+2 using this and other proprietary components, a car that’s an alternative to the XK or BMW 6 Series, yet just one notch down from an Aston or Ferrari?

Classic Driver readers searching for a post-Christmas read need look no further than Jo Ramirez’s excellent autobiography ‘Memoirs of a Racing Man’. Having just finished it myself, I can commend it to anyone appreciating motor racing from the ‘60s to the present day, warts and all.

One of Jo’s first forays to Europe from Mexico came via his connection with the Rodriguez brothers, and his description of a ‘training lap’ of the Targa Florio with younger brother Ricardo in a Ferrari 250 GTO leaves you in doubt as to what might have been.

Excellent stuff.

Steve Wakefield Managing Editor sw@classicdriver.com