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Reader’s Poll, 1964 (Part II)

Posted by Jeffrey Olson

Last week I wrote about an issue of Car and Driver from May of 1964 in which the results of a then-recent reader poll were reported (read Part I here). We covered the Economy and Compact Sedan Categories, as well as the Luxury Compact, the Full-Size Sedan, and the Performance Sedan categories. As interesting as those results were, today we get to the good stuff: “Sports/GT Cars Under $3k” (remember, this is 1964). And the winner is: the TR4, followed by the MGB, Sunbeam Alpine, Lotus 7, and all manner of Morgans. All English. No Alfas or Fiats. Setting aside Hatfield/McCoy-type arguments between devotees of the Triumph and MG marques, there’s nothing much to fight about here. However, it is worth examining a bit of C&D’s explanation for why its readers favored the Triumph: “The combination of gutsy, storming acceleration, marvelously powerful brakes, and typical English handling to match.” Just for the record, that would be gutsy, storming acceleration resulting in a 0-to-60 time of 10.5 seconds. Raw performance aside, if you were going to an auction today looking for an early 1960s sports car, all of these legitimately could be on your list (plus, no doubt, an Alfa or Fiat).

Moving up-market to the “Sports/GT Cars $3k-$6k,” the winner was the most sensual car ever created, the “world’s greatest crumpet collector” (to paraphrase R&T’s Henry Manney III): the Jaguar E-type (or as C&D and most of the U.S. market called it, the XKE). The E-type was followed by, in order of finish, the Cobra, Corvette, Porsche 356C, and Lotus Elite.

In the interest of full disclosure, let the record show that I own an E-type. Also for the record: Manney was and remains correct (my wife takes comfort in the fact that my looks pretty much neutralize the Jag’s). Personal prejudice aside, the finishing order in this category is interesting. How does a pure, unvarnished sports car like the Cobra get slotted between the Jag and the ‘Vette, both of which are relatively civilized GTs? The Cobra didn’t even have a top; it came with a scrap of canvas and a couple of pieces of coat-hanger wire that were never meant to be assembled, let alone keep out the weather. The torque junkie vote must have split between the Cobra and the ‘Vette, thereby allowing the more sophisticated and insightful readers to prevail with the Jag.

Now the Porsche guys will cry: “Why that old crock of a 356? Where’s the 911?” Timing and price. The earliest 911s appear to have just been released, and at a price that placed the car in the over-$6k category.

Most conspicuous by its absence from this list is the “Ferrari of South Bend,” the Studebaker Avanti (stop snickering), which at some point in the early ’60s allegedly held the production car land speed record. I cannot imagine how that was accomplished (unless there was Third World-scale graft involved). However, a good friend of mine is an Avanti collector (science is working on a cure), and he swears that it is true.

Where are these cars now? Well, good luck finding a real, no-stories Cobra for under $500k today. The C2 ‘Vettes and E-types are fairy comparable. Setting aside the ultra-rare ones (e.g., E-type factory lightweights or real L88 packages, both of which can reach the million mark) the “best” Corvettes (big-block convertibles) and Jags (Series I flat-floor convertibles) can run in excess of $150k if they’re concours-quality, with small-block Corvettes and later E-types falling off from there. A solid driver of either can still be had for under $50k. A “perfect” 356C is into low six-figure territory, while a comparable Elite may reach around $65,000. I know, I share your pain. My father was myopic, too. Cobra for the summer, Ford Galaxie station wagon for the winter, put the Cobra in the barn after two summers, give it to your son several years later as a college graduation present. I’m sure he meant to, but just forgot. The current price of an Avanti? Let’s just say that they are thinly traded, late at night, on eBay.

– Jeffrey Olson