The 1960s Jaguar Pirana Concept
A 1960s Jaguar Concept – the Jaguar Pirana – has turned up for sale on Ebay in the US
Jaguar what? Jaguar Pirana, a concept car produced by Jaguar in 1967 and shown at the British Motor Show. No, we’d never heard of it either. But that’s not a huge surprise – there was only ever one built – but it was a surprise to find it on Ebay Motors.
It turns out that it was commissioned by – of all people – The Telegraph for their new colour supplement, in the days before the Sundays weighed in at slightly more than a hod-full of bricks and when newspapers gave their editors – in this case John Anstey – some very interesting budgets to play with.
The Pirana was based on the very able Jaguar E-type 4.2, but was coachbuilt by Bertone to John Anstey’s specifications. Anstey wanted Bertone to produce a car worthy of the Telegraph’s readers, or at least Anstey’s vison of them as ‘moneyed, keen on a sporty kind of car but at the same time a lover of comfort’. So the Pirana was born.
We can’t find any record of Jaguar’s reaction to the Pirana, but there was only one made so we assume they weren’t overly enamoured. But if you look hard – mind you, you don’t need to look too hard – you can see that Bertone’s design wasn’t wasted. It cropped up a year later as the Lamborghini Espada.
Waste not, want not.
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