Jeremy Clarkson
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From
July 1, 2007
Ferrari 275 GTS (1964)
Me, Grace Kelly, and an Italian love affair
When you drive into a village these days there is often an electronic sign that flashes on to tell you how fast you’re going. That’s very useful . . . but not half as useful as a sign to tell you how much of a berk you look.
I even have a name for such a device: a cock-o-meter. The idea being that it would process an image of your face, your hair and your clothes, and marry this information to the sort of car you’re driving. You’d then be given a score out of 10.
BMW M3s driven by people with shaved heads would get 10. Saabs driven by people in linen jackets would get maybe one or two.
And anyone in a Ferrari 275 GTS – even if they were a curious mixture of Bill Gates and Kim Jong-il – would get zero. In this car it is impossible to look like a cock.
Even if you are one.
This is not one of the great Ferraris. It is not a 250 GTO or a Daytona. It’s not a shark-nose racer or an F40.
Many car enthusiasts have never heard of it. Even among the Ferrari cognoscenti it’s a little known oxbow lake, Tim Henman with wire wheels.
If you liken Ferrari to the Who, it’s not Baba O’Riley or My Generation. It’s more like Happy Jack.
Part of the problem is that even by the contemporary standards of 1964 it really wasn’t very good.
The best thing is that it had an unusual fixed propshaft which, because the engine moved around on its rubber mountings, would wear out in moments. This meant owners never really had a chance to discover that the braking system was made out of what appeared to be veal. For stopping a GTS you’d have been better off opening the door and running your shoe along the road.
For reasons lost in the mists of time, the 275 was fitted with 14in wheels, which meant the discs had to be smaller than the engineers would have liked. They were fine for popping to the shops for milk, and at speed they’d work once or maybe twice. But after that I’m afraid you were going to meet your maker with a rather surprised and annoyed look on your face.
There was another interesting issue, too. Ferrari decided to fit a small two-man sofa instead of a passenger seat, saying they’d made a 2+1. And indeed they had, but woe betide the man who put a girl in a skirt in the middle. Because every time he went for fifth he’d get a slap.
None of this matters though, because, and I’m afraid I can’t take any argument on the matter, this is the prettiest Ferrari ever made. And that would make it the prettiest thing ever made, including Raquel Welch, who owned one.
I worry about modern Ferraris. They are deeply, deeply impressive and my respect for the technological abilities is boundless. They really do feel very far ahead of all other cars on the road. But emotionally they leave me unaffected: cold.
The 430, the 599 and to a lesser extent the 612 are as brilliant as laptop computers. But what I want from a Ferrari is not science and maths. I want heart and soul. I want love and affection. I want them to be less like a laptop and more like a book or a painting.
Perhaps this has something to do with the company’s current, and misguided, obsession with putting as much Formula One trinketry into the road cars as is humanly possible. Square steering wheels with gearchange advisory lights. Flappy paddle gearboxes. Five-way traction control. Look under the bonnet of a 599 and you’ll find the plastic sheet fitted to shroud the radiators has been sculptured to resemble the nose of an F1 car. That’s not clever. It’s naff. Drive past a cock-o-meter in a car like this and it will explode.
In the early days Ferrari road cars were not designed or marketed to exploit the company’s track stars. When the 275 came along in 1964 it had nothing in common with the V8 F1 car that John Surtees used to win the championship that year. And there was no attempt to pretend it did, as there is now with the grand prix tinsel and traction control malarkey.
Back then, yes, Ferrari’s racers kept the name in the headlines, but the road cars were made for playboys. People like Porfirio Rubirosa, who at 3am in a Montparnasse nightclub called New Jimmy’s suddenly remembered he was due to take part the following morning in a tennis tournament in Monte Carlo. Giddy, shall we say, after an evening in Paris he roared off in his Ferrari and did well, making it as far as the Bois de Boulogne before he veered off the road and into a tree, dying instantly. The 275 came from the days when Ferraris were bought by the white knights, the people who invented the jet set, not a bunch of IT consultants who want a flappy paddle gearbox so their stupid friends might think they’re Michael Schumacher. See a 599 and who comes to mind? Gary Neville? Philip Green? See a 275 and it’s a different picture that fills your head. It’s Grace Kelly in a headscarf cruising down the Promenade des Anglais. It’s Gianni Agnelli stepping off a Riva speedboat in St Tropez and screaming down the Riviera for a dinner date in Portofino. That’s why the 275 is a cock mask.
When I saw one in the flesh for the first time last week I didn’t really want to get in it and go for a drive. And not only because I knew the brakes wouldn’t work and I’d end up all dead. No. I didn’t want to get inside because then I couldn’t look at that gasp-inducing Pininfarina styling any more.
In some ways, I suppose, it’s a bit like the old Fiat 124. But because of the 72-spoke wire wheels and the four exhausts you just know it’s a bit more special than that.
And it is. Under the bonnet there’s a 3.3 litre V12 engine. We forget these days that to the Ferrari purist the V8 is a coarse aberration, an American import which has no place providing the propulsion and the soundtrack in a real car. A Ferrari must have a V12 in the same way that a real guitarist must have a Fender Stratocaster.
Of course by the standards of the 21st century it’s a woeful engine, drinking enormous quantities of petrol through its six carburettors and only handing 260bhp back in return. You get nearly as much as that from a Vauxhall Astra these days, and the same sort of performance. Zero to 60 in around seven seconds and a top speed of 149.
The handling is similarly out of date. This may have been the first car in the world to be fitted with independent rear suspension – not a lot of people know that. Not a lot of people care. But you need to be a brave man to find what it feels like at the limit. I wasn’t. Not with the owner watching.
All I know is that at surprisingly moderate speeds the wheels feel like they’re not really connected to the car at all, flopping over in the arches as the suspension fails to keep the tyres in flat contact with the road. At 50, in a gentle bend, the rubber was howling in protest.
This was fine by me because the slower you drive this car the more time it takes to get somewhere and the longer, therefore, you are in it. If it had had a stereo, rather than a medium-wave radio, I’d have slotted Matt Monro into the CD, and with the strains of On Days Like These filling the cabin I’d have set off at 30 and spent a month driving to the south of France.
Sadly it’s very difficult to buy one. Just 200 were made and only 14 had right-hand drive. They come onto the market from time to time and go for around £200,000 – roughly what it would cost to buy a new 599.
I’d go for the old car in a heartbeat. It’s not big and it’s not clever and it’s certainly not fast. But possibly, just possibly, this is the most exquisite car I’ve ever driven. Because here, wrapped up in 14 feet of steel and glass and wire, we find everything – everything – it was that made me fall in love with cars in the first place. A ton and a half of style, heart, and soul.
Vital statistics
Model Ferrari 275 GTS (1964)
Engine 3285cc, 12 cylinders
Power 260bhp @ 7000rpm
Torque n/a
Transmission Five-speed manual
Fuel n/a
CO2 n/a
Acceleration 0-60mph: 7.2sec
Top speed 149mph
Price £5,699 when new, approx £200,000 today
Rating 
Verdict More Grace Kelly than Gary Neville
Truly gorgeous car, absolute top of style, look and taste. I wish could buy one of these cars and drive it maybe once a year or so, but I truly believe, every time I'll insert key in it, only one phase would fly throw my mind... "oh, life is good".
Tornique Tvalavadze, Tbilisi, Georgia
"It’s not big and it’s not clever and it’s certainly not fast. But possibly, just possibly, this is the most exquisite car I’ve ever driven. Because here, wrapped up in 14 feet of steel and glass and wire, we find everything – everything – it was that made me fall in love with cars in the first place. A ton and a half of style, heart, and soul."
I think the exact same thing when I get in my current car - an '86 Alfa Romeo Spider. It's the kind of car that you can't stop thinking about for hours after you get out at your destination. After driving it, every single modern car feels more modern and on paper does everything much better than either of these cars, but you just know deep down inside somewhere that they don't. Not even close.
Anthony Michael Erickson, Seattle, Washington State, USA
Jeremy,
Well said. Growing up in Detroit I had American cars, my favorite being a V8 1973 Camaro. Junk by today’s standards but fun @ the time Hints of Ferrari inspired design from 1970-73. Today guys will buy a rust bucket Camaro for a few dollars and happily spend a small fortune doing a ground up restorations. “Retro-mods†that use a few modern components, retain the character that made us passionate about these cars in the first place and improve reliability. The new car GM is calling a “Camaro†is not even close.
Newer cars do not invoke the passion you speak of with the 275. I remember the first BMW I drove, a 2002 Tii. I got to blast up Boulder Canyon in listening to the Eagles “Life In The Fast Laneâ€. I’d never consider the new BMW 3 series however; they’ve evolved into bland luxury cars for affluent middle-aged women.
Chuck Beck makes a beautiful Lister Knobley copies in California using new Corvette engines and suspension components. His cars remain faithful to Brian Lister’s original design while retaining everything that made the car special in the first place.
My daily driver is an SUV, but the convertible 1994 Jaguar XJS tucked away in the garage for the winter is the vehicle that evokes the feelings you speak of in me these days.
George Davis
George Davis, Grosse Point, Michigan, United States
At the attention of "noiseformind, Barcelona, Spain".
I'm sharing your opinion about oldies GT.
I'm driving Lamborghini Jarama GTS, and will be delighted if they can also focus on Vintage Lambo.
I'm so commited that I've launched a dedicated website about it = www.jaramaregistry.com
Have a look and come back to me. I'm also interested to know your Islero 400GT VIN number, you will find my direct email at the end of website .
Regards,
Olivier, Bruxelles, Belgium
President of LCB
Olivier, Bruxelles, Belgium
dear Jeremy,
I have to admit that your overview is some kind of touching trouth (even if you are from britain and you always care about too many issues you can't even manage).
I saw your videos in Maranello, i got you were mad abou their way, i tell you they still go on in making that kind of engineering. Chassis. Flappy paddles. Handling. And such a kind of engine, try to get me another one like hat.
Sincerely yours,
Giorgio, milano, Italy
ive got a 275GTS, its my second. I had the first one rebuilt by a ferrari concessionaire, then rebuilt by someone who knew what they were doing, but it was just a bad car, so i sold it and bought a GTB (the clint eastwood one). The GTB is indeed a beautiful car but its like sitting inside a letterbox and looking out the slot, i missed my GTS. So I bought another , also restored by experts in the UK...not. Had it rebuilt again in France by a guy who ususally does 60's race car work. Finally (10 years later) I have a 275GTS which runs to 6500RPM without prop shaft problems, steers like a go cart, and looks like the car Mr Clarlson tried, except mine is dark blue. I think the GTS is a perfectly balanced design (it doesnt photograph well) and in my view the car is more chuckable than a GTB , and on a summer day it really is one of the nicest cars ever.
Great to see this model make the press...hopefully if one of the big classic car mags ever does a review they will find a good one.
wood, dubai, uae
"A Ferrari must have a V12 in the same way that a real guitarist must have a Fender Stratocaster."
This surprises me. I thought you were more of a Gibson player.
Martino, Verona, Italy
i would have any old ferrari alfa in a heartbeat that is what made me fall in love with cars as well.clarkson should remember this as well if he is half the petrolhead he claims to be. just look at the borrani wire wheels......... does it for me every time!!!
david knox, bishops stortford , herts
the Lancia Aurelia B10 had independent rear suspension and transaxle in 1950 already. Enzo Ferrari tried to buy an Aurelia B20 at that time, but Lancia could not deliver it to him in left hand drive, as requested. Maybe that is why Ferrari started only in the sixties with IRS?
Sebastien Simon, Lausanne, Switzerland
'Chris' of Lichfield and Hein Maassen are clearly very good friends as their comments are identical in their banal stupidity.
Why on Earth do they read Mr Clarkson's excellant columns if they simply do not appreciate the spine tingling excitement that driving a truly classic car evokes.
The 275 was born in an era when cars (well some) were individual flashes of genius, not the boring identikit computer designed tin boxes of today.
I'll bet you that 'Chris' and 'Hein' both drive or even worse think that BMW's are great!!
Christopher Esdaile, Pulborough, Sussex
"The day will come when these unsafe gas-guzzling dinosaurs will seem as much out of date as a flint axe. A good day that will be too.
Hein Maassen, Leidschendam, The Netherlands"
The day will come when these boring anti-social killjoys will seem as much out of date as a flint axe, and will be compelled by law to mind their own business and stop annoying the rest of us. A good day that will be too.
Chris, Lichfield, UK
Jeremy,
Dear, oh dear, oh dear. Not only have you repeatedly ignored my entreaties to review the Tesla but you snuck off on holiday and left Jay Leno with the task when InGear saw that Tesla coverage was inevitable. Now I know that you are a fully signed-up petrolhead but, Tesla excepted, I am pretty sure that you are intelligent and open-minded. All that was needed was you to take the plunge and have a serious look at what could just be the best engineering innovation to hit the motor car industry in the last century - or are you just being bloody-minded? The Tesla is green, fast and fun. You are on record as saying in effect that there is no such thing as a practical electric vehicle which ranks anywhere close to petrolpower. Well I challenge you to study the white papers on the Tesla motors website and then convince your readers - of whom I include myself, an avid fan - that the Tesla is not a most impressive engineering feat with excellent green performance and fun to boot.
David Watson, Waterlooville, Hants
I saw one at DTR in SW London the other day. VERY NICE!
I am very happy with my poor man's version, the 1968 Fiat 124 Sport Spider thank you very much!
Tom De Nert, Twickenham,
Driving the Ferrari sedately?
Jezza should do what he normally does and not give a fig
Regards,
Salt Plain administrator (an owner of an ex immaculate Jag)
Felix, Woking,
I believe it was the 275 GTB in the famous Claud Le Luc
'Rendezvous' high speed movie through the steets of Paris in the early 70s. What a sound track,
but try the Maserati Ghibli Convertable, thats in a class of its own for sheer style and unique understatedness.
Morten Villiers Warren, Oxshott, Egland
Regarding Mr. Clarkson's comment on rear axle independent suspensions, I thought all older cars with "De DION" differentials were independent suspensions.
Garlin, Toccoa, Georgia, USA
What that car needs, what all classic cars need, is a thourough renovation. The net is flooded with pictures of trashed ferraris. Salvage all the engine parts, the suspensions and propshafts from these wrecks and fit them to the 275 GTS. Strip the engine block bare and fit new ferrari valves, carborettas, belts, cogs, the entire works. And then fit better brakes. What you would end up with is a beautiful classic car with the performance of a modern car.
Clarkson is right. Ferrari needs to leave all F1 trickery to F1 cars and start making road cars with looks to die for. Ferraris have always been about balancing looks with performance, but modern ferraris tip the balance too far. As much as i love the F599 it still looks like a frog.
manyverse, Guildford, England
It's nice that Jeremy & I can agree about this car. I 'gatecrashed' a Ferrari owners day at Donnington 20 odd years ago; and leaving my repmobile in the lower car park started walking up the slope to the track & was promptly picked up by a couple in a 330GTC & they pulled up alongside a 275GTS & chatted with the owner & I promptly got a ride around in that too. My lift back at the end of the afternoon was a Dino 246.
I'd told the couple at the beginning the truth & the attitude all day was 'good for you'. I had rides in half a dozen Ferraris & everyone was great for me taking photos, even moving cars etc. I'll dream about the 275 forever, it's the one car I'd always choose in the 'what if' column. Porsches, TVRs etc I've owned & enjoyed, but I want that 275GTS, always have & always will.
Thanks to Jeremy for the article, and a belated thanks to FOC for their friendly attitudethat day. Real class, one and all.
mike, shenzhen, china
I suspect Jeremy meant three two-barrel Webers, meaning six carb "throats." I always liked the 250GTO as the racer and the 275GTS as the "town car," but fell hard for the 250GTE as well. Unfortunately, the only one I ever even caught a ride in was a 330 coupe running on ten cylinders. As an 18-year old, it was still monumentally cool to be picked up at work in it.
Don Rincon, Austin, TX
Jeremy's article says regarding the rear suspension of the 275GTS "This may have been the first car in the world to be fitted with independent rear suspension- not a lot of people know that" Remember the S Tupe successor to the MK 2 Jaguar. The S type had IRS and it cme out in 1963!
Remember the E Type Jaguar. It had IRS and it was built in 1961!! The engineering on both the above cars is superb and lasted as the bench mark design for IRS until about 1994.
David Cooper, Auckland, New Zealand
Prettiest for me is the Dino 246 but then I suppose it's not a (real) Ferrari.
Bill, Belfast, N.I.
Jeremy, you're right, this is a beautiful car! As a long time owner of a 275 GTS I appreciate your feelings. Few cars stir my soul as much, especially while running up the coast on a sunny day. The car's conservative lines work for me - I don't want attention. I want to drive, to revel in the car's responses and its glorious sounds. And yes, it looks great on me!
Sorry, you're really wrong about how this car drives. This car is a dream to drive. The trans axle provides great balance. The prop isn't weak or problem prone. Mine is original and has never had any problems.
No doubt your car had the wrong tires. This car uses stiff sidewalls - modern tires make it feel like mush. Michelin XWXs are required. With them you'll be drifting this car like a contemporary Lotus. Furthermore, this car's 0-60 times are really in the low 6's.
BTW: the wide seats were only used on a few cars; most cars have only 3 Webers.
Name withheld, ,
Clarkson is right. These older Ferrari's are all about good taste and education, while the new ones are perfect for hip hoppers and pimps! I'm a car freak and I don't care about these "modern" Ferrari's (or others) because I just don't like them and my interest in this new breed is zero.
On the other hand one cannot deny that these older gas guzzling and polluting cars are indeed more and more looking odd and outdated due to our new "global warming" points of view. I feel the end of an era is knocking at the classic cars' lovers door! Fuel becomes unaffordable, speed limits are everywhere, cameras are flashing at each corner of the street and new emission laws are in the make to kill that last remaining ounce of pleasure!
Guy Gadbois, Antwerp,
You are spot on, the ferrari's and maserati's from the sixties are better looking with all that chrome than the newer cars!
john195, Fremantle,
The day will come when these unsafe gas-guzzling dinosaurs will seem as much out of date as a flint axe. A good day that will be too.
Hein Maassen, Leidschendam, The Netherlands
I just bought an Lamborghini Islero S in a pretty good state for 40.000 euros and another one, a Islero GT, stayed in the stand waiting for another oldies lover. It is, (dare I say?) epic! Though I am pretty young (29) I am a foundler for antique cars and the GT origins is my major turn on. Hope to see an Islero review here some day. In can cruise to 100mph without any problem, probably 'cause it as so much rubber lol
noiseformind, Barcelona, Spain
Never seen one round here well this is barnsley but it sounds like a dog . Is it one that needed a mechanic in the passenger seat , is that what the extra seats for . You can pass me the barge pole but I'm still not touching it you must be getting a touch of the screaming abb dabbs in your old age clarky
Dave Dunlavey, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Oh Clarkson!!
This pungent whiff of nostalgia is a bit rich coming from the man who so often lambasts eccentricity and the appreciation of quirky cars.
Which is it? The powerful, performance-packing super sports? Or the dewy-eyed, rose-tinted style icons?
In your position as a motor industry influence, I think you've contributed quite a lot to the performance-pressed / optimisation-obsessed culture of modern cars. I suspect most of those IT consultants are big fans. Is this a turn for the better, I wonder?
Neil, Hamilton, Bermuda
Jeremy, you'll make the transition to this new era of sensible, low performance, ultra-fuel efficient motoring just fine. Producing exquisite rolling art will be the new standard by which auto makers will be judged.
As long as you don't have Paris Hilton driving the 275 GTS, tempting though the comparison may be.
Peter B, Victoria, BC, Canada
On a different level altogether, but Jeremy's memorys rather reminded me of my father's old bright yellow VW 1300S Beetle, which was in fact a 1600cc, the S you know. It took about 4 years to build up speed and then rolled on nicely and easily. He even repaired the handbrake once in the Pyrenees with a bit of twine from my mother's handbag. So there is advantage in old fashioned technology. My current car? A newish very mandraulic Skoda Fabia. Stops me having gross electric bills from my friendly mechanic. Acceleration very similar to the Beetle, although steering and cornering far superior. But the love of my life, a Yamaha YZF R1. Yes I know its a plastic missile, but at 173kg and 176bhp, for £4500, its a cheap way to thrash a new £200k Aston, Ferrari or Mazerrati. You'd be surprised how much romance there is in surviving the twisty country backroads on a big bike!
Declan, London,
Mr. Clarkson,
Delightful article. One of your bestm however I suspect the 275GTS has not been sorted. Thirty years ago I had one cross-armed and sideways. The brakes were a little understated, however that could be remedied if the optional alloy wheels were fitted. The two hundred or so made were mostly sold for appearances whereby stopping from 35mph was never a problem.
Keep up the good work.
Justin Scott, Melbourne, Australia
Need a relevent joke? there was a good remark in "Friends" by Joy. He tried to sell somethink with an "Italian craftmanship" tag!
Vagelis Vagelatos, Athens, Greece
Dear Jeremy,
I love it; You say it all, but the example you drove may not be well sorted. I had one cross-armed and sideways thirty years ago and the only thing better is the 330GTS.
Keep punting.
Justin Scott, Melbourne, Australia
In the 1960s, when Jeremy was staring primary school, I was allowed to drive a 275 GTS owned by the engineering wizard Ken Rudd. The reason the car had a rigid drive shaft was because the gearbox was integrated with the back axle, to balance the weight distribution. Before I set off, Ken warned me not to try and engage first gear for the first 10 minutes as it wouldn't work until the transmission had warmed up. As I recall, the 275 GTS was just like Jeremy says, a delight to behold and a dog to drive. Like all the great moments in our past (teenage sweethearts, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, black & white photos, and all the rest ) it is best kept as a fond memory, not relived. Three-abreast seating? This was a car for the Californian market in the days before safety and emission controls took the fun out of driving, when the throaty roar of carburettors and the bark of a sporty exhaust stood the hairs up on the back of your neck and sent the heatbeat racing.
Geoff Howard, Cambridge, UK
Mr. Turner:
Nothing personal, Russ. Given that Texas is a country, would you mind taking back the guy currently at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW? I'll gladly pay for his (one way) air fare.
Dan, Washington DC,
That's why I drive classic Italian cars; an Alfa Romeo 2000 Berlina (1975) and an Alfa Romeo Spider 2000 (1973)! The style, the passion, the speed, even in an moderate priced car as an Alfa.
Angelo, Rome, Italy
Dear Dale,
What I think Mr. Clarkson meant was that the 275 was the first Ferrari with independent rear suspension. The first independent rear suspension to the best of my recollection was a Mercedes-Benz of the early 1930s.
Justin Scott
Justin Scott, Melbourne, Australia
a beautiful car indeed and certainly one I would give my eye teeth for but the first car in the world to have independant rear suspension? Get real Jeremy you're only about 30, 40, 50 years out.
Dale Allen , EMERALD, Vic Australia
The Jaguar E-Type (1961) had an independent rear suspension 3 years before the Ferrari 275 GTS (1964) !
Dale Ashby, Adelaide, Australia
I'm pretty sure the Citroen 2CV had independent rear (and front) suspension 16 years earlier. But perhaps Jeremy was referring to rear-wheel drive cars.
Ben, London,
But didn't the Jaguar E-type have independent rear suspension in 1961?
Mark DeLong, Rougemont,
Having driven new and old Ferrari's over the past 30 years, Clarkson hits the nail on the head.
Flaviaman, Whistler, Canada
Good article.
However, if you think the 275 is cool then have a look at the 365 California convertable. I think it is probably the most beautiful car ever made. I was a 12 year old when the car was first introduced. Very few were made. I had a picture of it on my bedroom wall and aimed one day to own one. Well, you do that when you are 12. Sadly, a lifetime of infinite opportunity more often than not distils into a Ford Focus.
Here is a challenge. Find a California and at least get the cameras to it and sit in it. You don't have to drive it (because I suspect that these days a Golf GTI would leave it for dead.) Would be good to hear the engine though.
If you cannot cannot find a California then runner up might be a Ferrari 500 Superfast.
In fact, a style through the years theme would be great entertainment. You could feature all sorts of extinct exotic cars such as Fraser Nash, Facel , Iso etc.
For pocket money I'll help you!
Mike Mather, Northampton, UK
Jeremy should try out the slightly later 330 or 365 GTS asthetically virtually identical but much nicer to drive. More leg room too which is probably important to him.
Matthew, London, England
In fact Ms Kelly was probably more likely to have been seen driving in her Husband's Series II 250 GT Cabriolet ,the immediate forerunner to the 275 GTS, but Mr Clarkson's comments are no less insightful for that
anthony travers, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
The Fiat 124 was also allegedly related to the Lada Riva, or rather the Lada was a cut-price Russian version of the Italian car. I had the Riva 1200 as my first car. Best 0-60mph time was 29secs, though I did have the wind behind me that day. Also, when turned left at any speed over 15mph, the engine would die. But I loved it, even though I had to push start it every day for two years, I loved in the same way that Clarkson loved that old American car he bought in Top Gear. Somehow you make a strong bond with your car, willing it do carry you around, no matter how useless it is.
James Leeming, Weybridge, Surrey
I had a picture of a 250GT California on my ceiling when I was a kid.. 30 something years ago, it last thing I looked at before i went to sleep & 1st thing I looked at in the morning....my world was complete as a child, but it's fallen apart now!!
Ian Sears, Woking, UK
I enjoy Mr. Clarkson's reviews, however for most drivers competence will overtake soul when they look to buying their cars. This is becasue they cannot afford to have a fleet of cars in their driveways (an opulent luxury itself in London these days!) so they will try and buy the car that satisfies most of their requirements as opposed to having a sports car, a luxury saloon and a 4x4.
Since JC can afford all the cars he wants, pretty much, I hope this has not led to him being somewhat out of touch with most of his readership.
I had to laugh at the IT consultant jibe as I have been one in the past I hasten to add... :-)
Saleem Chagtai, London,
It is nice to see simple, uncomplicated cars take places in the hearts of people experienced enough to know that it's not all about the latest gee-whizardry that makes a car great.
It what speaks to people about Mustangs, older Mercedes, etc...
Gus, Los Angeles, USA / CA
Dear Mr Clarkson,
you can just imagine how I felt at 14 years old in 1973 on a sunny Sunday morning, when I was told to jump into the car ahead just over the traffic lights (beyond my sight of vision) by the occupants of the Range Rover V8 which had no room for me, as it was full of motor bike scrambler on which I was just about to have my first motorbike lesson. Over the lights they screamed over the lights, Clive is waiting! So I ran across the lights and I saw the most beautiful red convertible car (which I was to learn was a Ferrari 275 which had a sheep skin cover on the seats ). "Jump in Giggs" said Clive and there I began my love affair with cars as Clive thundered of towards Potters bar via Southgate in North London, on empty roads with the sun shineing and the roof down, followed by my friend Keith and his older cousin Tony, in the Range Rover grinning from ear to ear behind. It was the most glorious day and I understand fully how you felt about the Ferrari 275.
Mr K Kyriacou, Tunbridge Wells, UK
One of J's best yet - hats off !
And a damn gorgeous machine too.
Simon, Cleobury Mortimer, England
Wonderful article, Jeremy! You managed to articulate my long-felt but never quite understood attraction for "souly" cars. Thank you!
Traian, Bucharest, Romania
Very possibly Ms Kelly was more likely to have been seen driving her Husband's Series II 250GT Cabriolet,the forerunner to the 275 GTS, but Mr Clarkson's comments are no less insightful for that.
Anthony Travers
Grand Cayman
Anthony Travers, Grand Cayman,
Bravo Jeremy, there is no doubting that most new cars have no style, heart or soul. Just look at the 1950 Jaguar XK 120 - a thing of beauty!
My hats off to Alfa, as it seems they understand the meaning of 'an image of beauty'! The Brera is a modern equivalent in the style status!
MT, Manchester, UK
Actually Ms Kelly was more likely to have been seen driving in in her Husband's 250 GT Series II Cabriolet ,the immediate forerunner to the 275GTS, but Mr Clarkson's thoughts are no less relevant or insightful for that.
anthony travers, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Mr Clarkson, I nominate you to be Poet Laureate.
Probably the most masterly English I have ever read
Eugene Sherry, Sydney,
I've just decided to put the 275 GTS in my ultimate 10 car garage. Thank's Jeremy, for showing me the way
Ryno du Plessis, Pretoria, South Africa
Perfect Jeremy , just what we need to kick off Gordon Brown's miserabilism years. A thing of beauty , even if it doesn't work , the same , of course could be said of the new Prime minister , except he isn't beautiful . Lets hope car manufacturers are reading your article and decide to build cars with style and soul , turning away from this , the age of the ugly car.
Nick Dixon, Sutton Coldfield,
Amazing description of a lifestyle miracle. Mr. Clarkson's text on the Ferrari 275 GTS was about as delicious as the object of his (and our) lust. I had to read it slowly just to make it last longer. Thank you!
Euni T. Santos, Brasilia, Brazil
While usually regarding Mr Clarkson's work as an extremist sort of Automotive Howard Stern with(out) an accent, I must give that his insights on the Ferrari 275 border on what must be for him a spiritual enlightement. Indeed, he could not be more on target. There was a time when all was right with the world: the Italians were about Passion, the Germans about Precision, the British about Class and we Americans about Big.
Bravo, Mr Clark.
Russ Turner, San Antonio, Texas (that's a country)
that's why i'm never getting rid of my E-type
Al, London,