Modernism versus classicism. Britain versus Italy. Sharp angles versus voluptuous curves. Fiat’s 130 Coupe and Jaguar’s XJC approach the luxury GT domain in very different ways, and each has their own appeal.
The Jaguar, for example, harks back to the past – lashings of chrome, wood and leather abound. It’s difficult to think of a more British interior; it’s hard not to imagine the interior of the house of the person who bought one of these originally. Lots of panelled wood, Chesterfield leather sofas and a rather spiffing cutlery set glinting out from inside an ornate Victorian sideboard. And even though you’re reading this, and perhaps looking at the pictures here, you can just imagine the lovely smell of it all. A proper smell. Like cars should smell.
The Fiat is rather more racy. The dashboard is stark black, but some had hints of wooden colour. But are you really looking at the dashboard? No, you’re transfixed by the orange velour (which you can see here). Orange velour. If the Jag was a bubbling hotpot of good old Shepherd’s Pie in the finest tradition, then the Fiat is the full pan-friend Chicken in Arrabiata sauce. But don’t let the retina-searing nature of the interior fabric make you think that this is a hard riding thrash-mobile masquerading as a luxury GT. The ride comfort was praised as akin to that of a contemporary Rolls-Royce, with bumps dismissed in the manner of a nonchalant Latin shrug of the shoulders.
The exterior is rather more subdued – think Kevin McCloud and his modernist houses, rather than the grandeur of the Jag. Focus on any one part of the 130 and its overall aesthetic might not seem to work, but put it all together it just seems… advanced. You could just imagine the swift trip over the mountains from Geneva to Milan, powered by espresso, clothed in Armani and never without some seductively dark sunglasses.
The Jaguar is rather more lascivious in its curves; again any one element might question the rationality of some parts of the design, but it all holds together beautifully. And while the image of the XJ may have been sullied by the characters who piloted so many of them to early, rusty graves coated in cigarette ash and bacon roll splatterings, the old Jag has come full circle. It’s now deeply desirable – while you can see elements of Pininfarina’s Fiat 130 flourishes in cars made today, nothing that rolls off the factory lines looks quite like an old Jag.
But how do they drive? The Jag’s V12 is the epitome of smoothness; everything happens with a silky smooth surge and soon you’re going much faster than you realised in quiet serenity. You’ll probably hear the crackle of the tobacco at the end of your cigar far sooner than that of the 12 cylinders under the glorious bonnet.
The Fiat, as befits an engine built by famed Ferrari engineer Aurelio Lampredi, has an engine that's rather more lively. The 3.2-litre V6 is traditionally Italian in its power band, and automatic-equipped cars are said to struggle. It's much better to have a manual like the one we’ve got here, though others believe the auto 130s are more than fine. It’s not as quiet as the Jag, but then this is a much more dynamic car – the advanced suspension setup, manual engine and harder-edged V6 make for a more engaging drive. It's still a wonderfully smooth companion, however.
Downsides? Well when you’re dealing with Jaguars and Fiats from the Seventies it’s very easy to trot out the poor build quality and rust cliches, but both these cars have survived around 40 years – if these had been truly neglected, both would have been used as Coke cans many times over by now. Then there’s the fuel consumption.
But let’s move on to the positives. Both these cars are rare – just under 1900 XJ12Cs were built in the first place. A shade under 4300 130 Coupes were built, and even fewer came to the UK. The attrition rate was high, too. What we have here then are two cars that are survivors, that have shrugged of cliches and the ravages of time. Both are utterly wonderful. But which one would you choose? Let us know below.