| I had always been a car nut, as a kid my | | | | of the Ferrari motor company had called it |
| bedroom walls had been plastered with the | | | | 'the most beautiful car ever made'. |
| models of the day but mostly with pictures of | | | | |
| beautiful little open topped sports cars | | | | The car today still does not look dated next |
| racing through the British countryside. | | | | to contemporary Ferraris and Porches, in many |
| | | | ways it is superior. Being able to hire one |
| Now in adulthood I thought my chances of | | | | of these outstanding cars would be a delight |
| re-enacting these scenes were slim to none. | | | | I would have never expected to have. |
| However for a birthday gift one year my wife | | | | |
| had contacted a classic car hire firm and not | | | | They also had available a Mercedes Benz 280 |
| knowing which model to get had simply bought | | | | SL, this cute little car can still be seen as |
| me a voucher for a weekend in whatever | | | | cool today, with classic styling that will |
| particular hire car I would like. | | | | never be surpassed. The fact the performance |
| | | | and handling were clearly from a different |
| This idea was brilliant; to hire a classic | | | | generation was not important, it is not about |
| car for the weekend would be fantastic and | | | | going fast in a classic open top, it is about |
| twinned with a couple of nights in a hotel | | | | enjoying your surrounding and the company, |
| would make for a very enjoyable trip. I went | | | | anyway going faster than fifty in a |
| to the hire company's website and laid my | | | | convertible just ruins your hair. |
| eyes on possibly four of the greatest cars | | | | |
| ever made; this was going to be a difficult | | | | Finally there was the veteran of the pack, |
| choice. | | | | the Triumph TR3A, being made up until 1962 it |
| | | | also had looks to die for, and its |
| Firstly they had a gorgeous little Austin | | | | performance is also acceptable in the modern |
| Healey 3000 available for hire. As a 1965 | | | | world. Being the first car with disc brakes |
| model in British racing green it had been the | | | | as standard at least you know it will be safe |
| car I had envisaged myself driving all those | | | | and with a 0-60 of twelve seconds its |
| years ago. After seeing this car in various | | | | acceleration is not all that bad. But as I |
| races throughout the sixties, being able to | | | | said earlier, it is not all about |
| hire one of these glorious little motors | | | | performance. |
| would be a privilege, and one that would | | | | |
| surely be memorable for the rest of my days. | | | | These cars were from a different era, despite |
| | | | that they still have jaw dropping good looks |
| Before I capitulated to signing up for the | | | | and the ability to turn heads. The choice of |
| hire of this car I made a concerted effort | | | | which one to hire for my weekend away was a |
| too look at the other classics available for | | | | hard one, the Austin and Mercedes both had |
| hire. If I had thought that the first option | | | | appeal, as did the little Triumph but there |
| had bowled me over the second car I viewed | | | | was no question really. Who could turn down |
| gave me even more of a shock; a beautiful | | | | the chance to hire a classic E-Type for the |
| example of the fabled Jaguar E-Type, soft top | | | | weekend? |
| of course. | | | | |
| | | | To drive around what has been hailed as the |
| This revolutionary car had transformed the | | | | best looking classic car of all time, the |
| sports car market, its engine, the handling, | | | | most iconic car of my generation was too good |
| but above all its styling had placed this | | | | a chance to pass up. I would hire the Jaguar |
| magnificent car well ahead of its time. So | | | | and tour the English countryside in style, my |
| much so that even Enzo Ferrari, the creator | | | | only worry now was the weather. |