In 1967 a concept car based on the E-type was commissioned by newspaperman of the Daily Telegraph in the UK. In less than six months, the car that would become known as the Jaguar Bertone Pirana Coupe, was styled by Marcello Gandini for Carrozzeria Bertone. The fully functional Pirana made its debut at the 1967 Earls Court Show owing some of its styling to Bertone's Lamborghini Marzal concept car and it served as the preview for the styling treatment for the production Lamborghini Espada which debuted just a year later.
For more than 40 years the Pirana virtually disappeared from view, it surfaced briefly in 2010. It was sold to collector Ed Superfon who commissioned a complete restoration, to a silver metallic finish that represents its original presentation back in 1967. It broke cover at the 2012 Concorso Italiano where it surprised many attendees, knowledgeable Italian car fans, most of whom knew little of its existence.
A book about the Jaguar Bertone Pirana Coupe, just released, contains 13 pages of historical text and images, a specification chart comparing the Jaguar Bertone Pirana Coupe to the Jaguar E-Type 2+2 that served as the donor chassis, and 33 full-page color plates.
The Jaguar Bertone Pirana Coupe book serves to document this unique collaboration between The Daily Telegraph Magazine, Jaguar, and Carrozzeria Bertone.
It transports the reader back in time when an audacious editor, John Anstey, had the power and budget to commission the building of a dream car.
Under the able hand of stylist Marcello Gandini and the direction of Nuccio Bertone, Carrozzeria Bertone was able to bring the Jaguar Bertone Pirana Coupe from design concept to auto show star in just five months.
It is a remarkable story, one that will likely never be repeated.
https://www.createspace.com/3970905 to order.
Author and photographer Richard Truesdell has been a full-time automotive photojournalist since 1995. Over the past 20 years his work has been published in Car and Driver, Motor Trend, Road & Track, Cars and Parts, Musclecar Enthusiast in the US as well as Octane and Classic and Sports Car in the UK as well as many other automotive and travel publications.
With more than 1,000 published automotive, mobile electronics, and travel features along with more than 50 magazine covers to his credit, Richard's experience is both comprehensive and wide-ranging.
Since 2007, Richard has also been the co-founder and editorial director of the digital-only magazine Automotive Traveler and its companion website, AutomotiveTraveler.com.
The Jaguar Bertone Pirana Coupe is Richard's first self-designed and self-published edition. It is the first in what is a planned series that will cover his passions of muscle, vintage, classic, and orphan cars.
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