When Jaguars Were Like Hedge Funds

Last week Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, the Mad Men agency, won the Jaguar account. Back then, Jaguar's cars behaved a bit like the hedge funds of our time. At their best, the E-Type roadster, Jags were like a stellar fund that generates a 23% annual return. Otherwise, Jaguars were like the average hedge fund – upscale image despite decidedly mediocre performance.  (One of my college roommates prospered quickly, acquired a Jaguar sedan, and promptly regretted it. The temperamental beast seldom took him far.) 

1961

At Bonham's June 3 Greenwich Concours action, this fully restored 1964 Jaguar E Type roadster just sold for $128,00. Will hedge funds will remain as popular three or four decades from now?

Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee today, so it's appropriate to recall British autos. But let the record show that America also produced notable roadsters. This ad is from 1966.