Jaguar FT from the great Gandini’s early years

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When designer Marcello Gandini passed away over two years ago, there was no shortage of obituaries praising his supercar and sports car designs. Over the course of his long career, working for Bertone (from 1964) and later as a freelancer (from 1979), he created some truly iconic highlights. Few retrospectives fail to mention the Lamborghini Miura, followed closely by the Lamborghini Espada, Lamborghini Countach and Lamborghini Diablo, as well as the Alfa Romeo Montreal, Fiat X1/9, and concept cars such as the Lancia Stratos Zero and Ferrari Rainbow. But what of this Jaguar from his earliest days?

While the ground-breaking Jaguar E-Type had been on the market for several years, the rest of Jaguar’s mid-1960s range was far from progressive. There were conservative saloons of all sizes: the Mk2 and S-Type, the 420, and the imposing Mk10. The Italian Jaguar concessionaire Ferruccio Tarchini believed there might be a market for a five-seater coupé and approached Bertone. A young Gandini designed the car, but only two running prototypes were built—one based on the S-Type and the other on a CKD Jaguar 420, both powered by 4.2-litre straight-six engines.

Named after the importer’s initials, the FT featured a sharp fastback line, ultra-thin pillars, and partially covered rear wheels. Aside from their radiator grilles and lavish interiors, they were not immediately recognisable as Jaguars. Remarkably, perhaps, a prototype for Alvis known as ‘Gladys’, built by Rover in 1965, bears a striking resemblance.

Both FTs survive. One was originally sold to a Spanish aristocrat and later rediscovered at a Jaguar dealership after two decades in storage. It was sold in Belgium in 2014 for €59,800. The other last appeared at public sale in 2021 in France, where it was hammered down at €92,000.

Words: Jeroen Booij
Pictures: Stile Bertone / RM Sotheby's / Bonhams

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