“You delight in the metal strips on the running board section of the after-wing. Running your hand across them discovers a delicacy in polished steel, perfect for muddy boots or brogues. They stand out like expensive fountain pens bejeweling the deep luster of the black paintwork. Each is longer than the last, each pointing to the vertical louvers on the bonnet. Scattered elements made of stainless steel glisten on the bodywork like brooches. The entire car exudes strength, fortitude, an easy gracefulness, British practical design and purpose at its very best as exercised in the 1920s.” I wrote that paragraph on seeing Sir William Lyons Swallow Jaguar SS90 Prototype in a heritage museum. Lyrical it may be but the car inspires poetic prose. More than that, it’s a man’s car; it does manly things, makes manly noises, and has lots of manly metal to polish. It was designed to be both sporty and a GT, as was its successor, the SS100. Every road-going Jaguar sports car since has been imbued with the same manly GT qualities. read full review
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