"...Egbert sent newspaper ads of the XKE to encourage us to do even better."

"Lincoln just introduced the Blade Fender in 1960 and Loewy wanted to use
that idea."

I wasn't aware of the fact that Sherwood Egbert challenged the Avanti team
to improve upon the Jaguar XKE.  It's also interesting that Loewy was
heavily influenced by the 1961 Lincoln.  The somewhat odd interaction of
two totally different design directions clears up some of the contrasts in
the final Avanti form.

The "Blade Fender" is something very American.  It would be out of place on
a true sports car but it's much more acceptable on a sporty personal luxury
car.  The blade fenders are beautiful in profile and they add dynamism to an
otherwise blank front end, but they don't quite match the soft fender
contours of the rear end.  I guess that's one of the things that creates
tension in the Avanti  - curves, creases, sharp geometric shapes and flat
slabs fighting one another all within one integrated overall design.

At least Egbert, Lowey & Co. set their sites high.  It's still tough to beat
the Jaguar XKE for expressiveness and grace and in a sportscar.  It's sexy
and purposeful.  Looking back on the 1961 Lincoln, it was way ahead of its
time. Compared to the same year Cadillac and Chrysler Imperial it just blows
them away.  The "Blade Fender" look continued for 28 more years, in various
iterations, through to the 1989 Towncar.

Sometimes I imagine a more European Avanti with no creases, knife-edge
fenders or angular bumpers.  But, would it really be as interesting?

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