Retro Prices

www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

£21k for that Jaguar Mk.X Which isn't too far off the price of a year old Jag XF now : www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202006170223295

Or 14k for the Vauxhall VX 4/90

And about right for a very decent one today.

The 1964 new price of £2,392 18s 1d translates as a little over £50K today which would buy a top end 2020 XF with delivery mileage. I don't think today's XF has the presence or the kudos that the Mk X would have had back in its day.

I think that ads the first time I've ever took notice of the word seventeenth - had to check out on the googles - either the spelling has changed or they got it a bit wrong

I love playing about with the inflation calculator if you can find period prices. Puts into context why the current car market feels so skewed.

My XJ40 4.0 was the equivalent of £82k in today's money which isn't that far from an upper spec XJ nowadays (£75k).

My Alfa 75 3.0 was the equivalent of £39,400 which is pretty much bang on the money of a new BMW 330i (£38700).

My X1/9 was the equivalent of £22600, which is pretty much bang on what a base spec MX5 is (starting to see the gap in the market now, as it's base spec MX5 vs upper spec X1/9).

My Spitfire MkIV was the equivalent of £12000. Looking at the current crop of sub-£12000 cars and you get things like the MG3 and boggo spec VW Ups and Vauxhall Corsas. Not bad cars by any means, but hardly a swoopily styled drop-top sports car.

The bit that seems to be missing is exciting entry-level cars designed to get people into cars in the first place. I can see why given the current insurance environment with young people, and the additional costs of meeting emissions and crash-test requirements. But still, it explains why I'm less interested in modern cars compared to classics! There's nothing interesting in my price bracket.