Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) E-Type launch 60 years ago.

On this day, sixty years ago, at 7pm in the evening, Bob Berry got into the very first E-Type, 9600 HP and drove through the night from the factory in Coventry to the Geneva Motor Show. With no motorways or ring roads, he drove 800 miles through the night. Arriving at the Jaguar dealership in Geneva with 20 minutes in hand, the car was immediately cleaned and driven to the Parc des Eaux Vives where Sir William Lyons was waiting to present the car to 150 members of the world press. 14.03.1961 Berry departs Browns Lane. 15.03.1961 Presentation to the Press. 16.03.1961 Geneva Motor Show opens (Source: Philip Porter The Most Famous Car in the World)

Amazing to drive 800 miles and arrive 20 with minutes to spare. I believe instead of going home from work Norman Dewis took a second E type to Geneva and arrived with 10 minutes to spare. Seat of the pants stuff but with timings like that it doesn't sound like there was much planning in those days!

Sounds like a good yarn to me or a "Dan Dare" adventure for anyone with experience of cross channel ferries you would be very very lucky working into a three hour window over that distance..

Agree except in an interview with Norman Dewis he said he was asked to drive to Geneva straight from work without prior warning after a phone call from William Lyons. The 10 minutes to spare is the part that may not be entirely accurate but he did also say he then had to do a full day testing with the press without having had any sleep!

Norman Dewis

It's all fact. Different times, different standards and all Sir William said was something along the lines of "I didn't think you would make it Dewis!!" No well done or Thank you.

And I can remember as a then 15 year old thinking to myself that it was a daft idea of Jaguar cars to replace the lovely looking XK150 with the E type.

I never have had good taste when it comes to buying cars. In the 70s I had a choice of car to buy for SWMBO - a choice between a second hand E type and second hand Stag, and I bought the latter! Earlier I had a choice of GT6 or Healey 3000 and I chose the Triumph on account of the Healey even then being old fashioned. I once bought an Austin Ambassador.

I need help.

There is only one cure.

Buy a Morgan. You know it makes sense.

I hope you didn’t buy Aston Martin shares Howard?

Good lord - no. In fact were you to look back on my previous posts you would see me saying " wouldnt touch them with a barge pole" at the time they were floated. Bust 8 times so far and the sort of hubris that Palmer displayed was a recipe for yet another failure. Now with a factory in S Wales and an F1 team - its inevitable.

No. Instead of that I bought another Fezza at peak market prices and which so far has possibly fallen by 40%