The Best Of Jaguar and Alfa - But Which Should You Pick? Duetto Spider Vs Jaguar E-type

I own a 1972 S2 Spider Junior, so am a little biased. In 2019 we did a trip to Italy and back in it with the Alfa owners Club. A truly memorable experience.

I suspect the E-type is like living with a super model, great to look at but mostly a nightmare. They are cramped, build quality was suspect and they are pricey to keep on the road. The Alfa is pretty, affordable a great drive and doesn't get the attention an E-type would. I have sat in an E admittedly it was a fixed head, I was surprised how close the screen was and how little room there is, I am just over 6 foot and I didn't like the experience. My friend has a restomod one and he never drives it despite it having modern brakes etc too cramped, too much attention and too expensive to leave it in Tesco's car park. It sits in his garage ....leaking. I think the Alfa would be a better real world choice for me anyway. Great film as always Jack and nice to see a period comparison.

I have a guilia spider, and have owned a mk2 and an 67 s type. The cost of ownership is one thing that you omitted in your review, my Alfa spider is so cheap to maintain compared to 60’s jags. They also don’t need to be driven as often to keep up and running. With the Alfa I have no hesitation driving it after a year of sitting.

It was the price in UK, but in Italy the E Type was much, much more expensive than the Duetto. At the time there were heavy taxes on export and the prices are not easy to compare.

I would buy the Duetto in a heartbeat. The fun factor of using "all the power all the time", and the greater degree of driver involvement (the live real axle notwithstanding), would seal the deal. Not to cast aspersions on the grandtouring manners of the E-type - it is a phenominal vehicle - but the more sporty nature of the Alpha driving experience win's my vote. Another entertaining and instructive comparison. Well done Jack!

cost aside, I think the better comparison is a mid-sixties Triumph TR4 to the Alfa Romeo. I have had both a 1966 TR4A and an a 1966 Alfa Romeo GTV. The technology of the AR far surpassed the Triumph and the drive of the AR is so much more exciting (The Triumph is somewhat agricultural). To this day, I find the Alfa to be the perfect car for fun driving on the road (as opposed to the track). It moves around in corners, you can run through the gears without getting into illegal speeds and it keeps you on your toes. For me, a lightweight, small displacement car is the sweet spot.

I’m restoring a 1750 version of the s1 duetto. Having spoken to an owner of both he preferred the duetto. However despite all this I would have the jaguar for its looks mainly if it wasn’t for the cost now. The Alfa really was far more advanced in many ways. Bit of a shame you didn’t have a mint one vs the e type.

The 1750 engine is really the sweet spot for this era of Alfas. Once you upgrade to polly bushings, stiffer springs, and Koni adjustables you'll find a different car.

No customer E-type had 265bhp, Jaguar lied. About 220bhp was closer to the truth. Also the E-type's independent front suspension is sprung by torsion bars, a torsion beam is quite different and found at the back of some front-wheel drive cars. With the Moss gearbox it's always best to go into second before selecting first, reverse is left and forward but there isn't much distance between reverse and first, so many an E-type has unexpectedly departed in the wrong direction. Also going into second from neutral stops the layshaft from spinning and means you shouldn't get a crunch going into 1st. Also the Moss box will not be rushed. Jaguar's all-synchro box is easier to live with. I wonder if there was something wrong with "your" E-type, I've driven several and none have had sloppy steering, although it is tyre sensitive (ideally good quality crossplies). As for the Alfa, it might have a live axle, but the axle is well located so not necessarily such a disadvantage. Seeing the Duetto reminded me of a drive I had in a Giulia Sprint Speciale, which was a 1300 with a peaky cam. That needed rowing along with the gear lever but really gave you the "mini-Ferrari" vibes. I think I'd prefer the Alfa, given the price difference, it's more likely that I could afford one.

I think back in the day most people would buy the Jag over the Alfa just on power alone! Never mind bringing looks into the equation.... Jag wins in my opinion. Cracking stuff Jack 👍

Had a minty 1967 Duetto Spyder for $2000 while at Uni, one of my favorite cars ever. A fun, nimble and quite reliable little machine, never left stranded like my Austin Healeys. Graduated on to German cars, but that little Alfa has a special place in my heart.

when Enzo said it was the most beautiful car he had seen....jag every time ....the Spider is lovely but no contest

I have always loved the looks of the Jag in both convertible and coupe form. That said, I've had a 67 Duetto for 20 years, and just love the car. I've replaced the 1.6L with a high performance rebuilt 2L, and the car is spritely enough for my needs.

Great review. I ran a 71 1750 Spyder for 10 years, then traded it for a 65 S1 4.2 E-type, which I've now run for 23 years! Very fair review. The Alfa is delicate buzzy, alive, loads of character. I loved it. The E-type is a super GT really. Way faster, you can feel it's Le Mans origins. Good ride. I've taken mine over the Alps four times, even driving back from Milan to Dorset in 24 hours once. A couple of the best cars ever made.

Had both the 1750 Duetto with Webers, in red of course, and a 2000 GTV with fuel injection at the same time. The 1750 revved easier and sat lower down so it was much more of a sports car. This sports car feeling was heightened by having a roll bar and competition seat belts. Loved driving it to Ana Ruby Falls in northern Georgia. My mechanic in Georgia was Paul Sproul who raced a Duetto and won D Production in it. Immediate prior car was a 61 Porsche Roadster (BRG) with the 1600n and Abarth straight thru exhaust that shot out blue flames when downshifting. Also had and enjoyed a Lotus Elan 130 +2 Big Valve which was by far the best handling of the bunch but not the most practical as an only car for a young married couple. It was especially thrilling to take the Lotus down Storrow Drive in Boston late at night with little or no traffic. However, I loved the Alfas so much I bot the last true Alfa made as an independent manufacturer; the Milano Verde with a 3.0 liter engine. Out of all of these, I kept the Alfa 2000 GTV which had the distinction of bringing 2 generations of my family to the hospital - forget about this nonsense of babies being carried in by Storks, in our family babies were brought in by Alfas.

This is such an unfair comparison. Obviously The Graduate is a better movie than Austin Powers.

Great video Jack, I own both an Etype and a Duetto, so was really looking forward to the video and you covered both cars well. It would be very hard for me to favour one over the other.

Two real icons 😍 I have been alfista for 20 years - from Alfasud to Alfetta GTV - and the sound of the bialbero still gives me goosbumps! But as I grew older I became a Jaguar-Fan and today I'd take the E-Type! I don't care how it drives - just give me the sound and the looks... and this convertible would look wonderful beside my XK8 Coupé 😉 Great video as always! Please more Jags 😉

Throw a Triumph TR5 in there for comparison or even a well sorted TR4/4A…..

The Jaguar was always a favourite of mine Jack. My girlfriend, now my wife of 50 years, used to keep an eye out for the salesman in the showroom as I sat in the new E=Types dreaming, as an apprentice toolmaker on very low wages. I like the way it swept through those tight turns (aka 'Jacks Bend' 😉) My favourite is a Series 3 V12 coupe in Primrose Yellow. I think I bought far too many chips in my younger days as the owner of the shop had one parked opposite his shop. Thanks again Jack for the great reviews, Bob M. South Wales