Cruising London's Ace Cafe in the Original Jaguar E-Type Roadster

Editor's Note: This weekend, on California's Monterey Peninsula, the automotive world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beautiful Jaguar E-Type. Four years ago Inside Line borrowed the first production E-Type roadster, the 1961 Geneva Auto Show Car, from the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and spent the night cruising London and the historic Ace Café. Enjoy the ride. — Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief

If you were a member of polite society in 1950s Britain, you would not be found at the Ace Cafe. Nestling beside London's north circular road, the cafe was the spiritual home of the "Ton-Up-Boys." So called for their determination to top 100 mph on their modified British motorbikes, the Ton-Up-Boys listened to rock 'n' roll and wore a provocative uniform of black leather.

Because the Ace is where the bikers ate and drank between races, their machines became known as cafe racers, a term still used to describe cut-down sport bikes with low clip-on handlebars. But the era of the Ton-Up-Boys and their successors, the Rockers, was over by the late '60s and the cafe closed in 1969. It became a filling station, a bookmaker's office and finally, a tire depot until September 2001, when it was reopened as a tribute to a bygone age.

Today it serves some of the best egg and chips in London and has become something of a mecca for motoring enthusiasts. Weekly cruises, as they're called in America, take place at the landmark, so we borrowed the first ever Jaguar E-Type roadster and headed off down memory lane.

The motor
Designed by the aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer, the E-Type is ridiculously beautiful. In April 1961, when the E-Type — dubbed the XKE in the U.S. — was first shown at the New York auto show, Frank Sinatra was heard to shout, "I want that car and I want it now!" Even today, it is easy to empathize with Ol' Blue Eyes. Bereft of the ugly bumpers that blighted later E-Types, the Series 1 is pure and sensual. Marilyn Monroe had the finest curves in 1961, but this Jag was a close second.

In the history of the E-Type, car registration 77 RW is hugely significant. This was the first production roadster and it was driven in great haste to the 1961 Geneva Auto Show to satiate the desires of an excited motoring press. Subjected to an expensive restoration years ago, it would fetch at least $500K at auction. Today, it's on loan to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and let out to play on special occasions.

By chance, tonight is Bike Night at the cafe, so we park the E-Type beside a handful of old Triumph motorbikes and wander inside. Fears that the cafe would be a naff pastiche of the original — Disney in leather — can be allayed. There's the inevitable gift shop and some pictures of yesteryear, but this is a proper eating hole, not some tourist fantasy. The food is honest, generously proportioned and a good value, and there's the steady buzz of conservation. The lack of glamour gives it an authenticity. It feels proper.

The cafe
The restoration of the Ace, which was first opened in 1938, was the brainchild of Mark Wilsmore, who welcomes us at the door. Dressed in black leather and sporting a pair of well-groomed sideburns, Wilsmore looks more like a member of the Rockers than a restaurateur.

"I grew up absorbing the sights and sounds of the '60s," he explains. "On the 25th anniversary of the Ace's closure, I decided to organize a reunion." More than 12,000 people turned up and the day's success inspired Wilsmore to set about a restoration. Finally, in September 2001, the cafe reopened on its original London site.

"I come here nearly every day," says Bo Nolen. "My dad was a 'Ton-Up-Boy' in the 1950s and he was a regular here. The Ton-Up-Boys were antisocial outcasts and the Ace was an intimidating man's place. It was a no-go area for most people." Back then, rocking up in an E-Type would have been unthinkable.

"Today, I come for the bikes and the music," Nolen continues. "On a warmer night, you'll find 50 or 60 bikes outside. This place is like a mecca for some people." Wilsmore has done a good job of making the Ace Cafe more accessible to sensitive souls, while retaining an authentic feel. Half of his customers look like refugees from the '60s and there's more leather here than in an average abattoir, but I'm not being sneered at for turning up in the Jag.

Timeless chic
How could they sneer? The "E" has a timeless chic inside and out. Even by contemporary standards, there's much to admire. The toggle switches have a resolute click, the wooden wheel would make a great ornament and the Smiths instruments are a delight. It has an innate quality that transcends time.

The Series 1 E-Type had a 3.8-liter straight-6 developing 265 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, which was enough for some spirited motoring. Even today it feels quick and emits a baritone bellow that should be available on iTunes.

At the time, the E-Type felt sensational, but car manufacturers still had much to learn. By modern standards, the gearbox is rubbish. To shift from 1st to 2nd, you have to select neutral, shout "God save the Queen," and then engage the next gear. The E was also monumentally dangerous. These early cars had no seatbelts or roll bars. To drive one today is to feel incredibly vulnerable.

And, of course, being a classic car, it broke down. Only after a bit of tinkering and good luck did it spring back to life and escort us to the cafe.

Back to the future
"I've tried to give people a sense of home," reckons Wilsmore. "This place is similar to a football [soccer] ground in that it helps to give people a sense of who they are. The emotion of the place comes from the people. They create the passion."

And this passion has been stirred in younger generations, who use the cafe as a meeting place for their car clubs. "It's great to see 2,000 22-year-olds totally into their thing," says Wilsmore. In the car park, the Jag and the retro Triumph motorbikes have been joined by a couple of Subaru Impreza STIs.

Leaving behind a pack of regulars sipping tea and listening to rock 'n' roll, we jump back in the Jag around midnight and spear across London, top down. Although not as hard-core as it once was, old number 77 RW turns out to be a wonderful place to spend a cold, damp night. Much like the Ace Cafe.

I can recommend the scampi and chips.

Inside Line would like to thank Mr. Michael Kilgannon and the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust for the loan of the E-Type.