Friday Funnies: Special ‘Type’ of celebration
THIS week blogger John Duckers looks back at two special, yet very different, birthdays in the region.
TWO special birthdays were the toast of the West Midlands Institute of Directors on a visit to Jaguar Land Rover at Castle Bromwich.
It was the 50th anniversary of the iconic E-Type and Black Country member Michael Goold, one of those lucky customers who bought one back in 1961, was celebrating his 83rd year.
Mr Goold, an honorary fellow of the IoD and former managing director of Walsall leather goods firm WA Goold, was presented with a bottle of champagne by the institute’s chief operating officer Andrew Main Wilson.
A good turnout from the troops – nearly 100 were there for the presentation by operations director Grant McPherson – and a fascinating evening for car buffs.
And what a different world it was when the E-type was launched. The Cold War raged and the Communists built a wall dividing Berlin.
On the home front, £20 was a good weekly wage for a working man. The cheapest new car on the market cost about £500 and a house could be bought for £2,000.
It was the era when “we have never had it so good” as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan didn’t quite say and the “swinging sixties” were just beginning.
The Profumo scandal was the talk of the day and the Beatles were just about to change music forever. And E-Types were all the rage with the ‘beautiful people’.
They were raced by Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and many other well-known names.
Royalty was just as interested and the Duke of Kent and his brother Prince Michael both bought E-Types.
E-type owners included celebrities such as George Best, Brigitte Bardot, Tony Curtis, Steve McQueen, Adam Faith and George Harrison. By June 1974, when production ended, more than 72,000 E-types had been built and if you own one now it is probably worth at least £50,000.
A decent investment given the price in 1961 was £2,256, the equivalent of £38,000 today.
IoD regional director John Phillips said: “Jaguar has consistently managed to come up with the most majestic of designs.
“They have continued to add to the technology while maintaining the wow factor. It is a great success story.”
Hats off to the E-Type.
- For more questionable gossip, tittle tattle and trivia from the region’s business community see Duckers & Diving.
