Kings of the open road

One of the things which defines an executive car is itself almost indefinable: a matter of image, how the car is perceived, not just by potential owners, but also by people at large. If a manufacturer's badge does not give the right impression, then almost nothing the company can do will gain it acceptance in the top echelon.

There is, of course, more to it than that. A high-class executive car must have presence on the road, it should be well finished and equipped, and it should be the product of an admired engineering regime.

That is why the upper-level models of some popular ranges just qualify as lower-level executive cars, but the cars at the head of the sector are in a different category altogether, in price as in every other feature. It is also why some manufacturers, try though they will, are unlikely ever to make the ultimate grade. If what they optimistically regard as their executive contenders are underpinned by some dull machines lower down the range, they will not reach the top rankings.

Except in the rare cases where a chauffeur takes control, the best cars of this kind are not only well equipped and quiet running, but also let the owner enjoy the physical act of driving. Precise response to controls, well balanced cornering, the ability to eat up the miles on a long journey without any mechanical or personal stress - all these things let a slightly frazzled driver finish a journey feeling fresher than at the start.

As far as most UK buyers are concerned, executive saloons, and some other model types as well, are defined - placing Rolls-Royce at Crewe in another category - according to the cities where their manufacturers are based.

Say Coventry, Stuttgart and Munich, and minds turn automatically to Jaguar, Mercedes and BMW.

Lexus is in there as an exclusive make on its own account, separate from Toyota's mass-market cars. From this month on, we should also include Cadillac. And there are other executive saloons such as the Honda Legend, as well as a raft of highly regarded ''grand tourers''.

At a time when even Rolls-Royce is about to disappear from British control, it is worth bearing in mind that there is still one luxury car maker which has not been taken over by German, American or Japanese interests. Bristol Cars has been in the business since 1946, and it is still going strong, having recently announced its revised and virtually hand-crafted #118,000 Blenheim 2.

One astonishing thing about the company is that the staff Filton, near Bristol, include people like the production manager and the chief tester, who have been there for 52 years, from the day the factory started operations.This has always been, by comparison with other makes in the same part of the market, a low volume enterprise. Bristol's ambitions for the Chrysler-engined Blenheim 2, which is traditional in many ways but makes use of some very modern materials, involve a hoped-for annual order book of something like 150 cars.

With the British-owned sector of the UK motor industry vanishing like snow off a dyke, who is to say that target is unreasonable?

When Ford took over control of Jaguar, there were cynics who suggested that the marque would be slid down-market. Nothing of the kind has happened. In fact, quality control has been markedly improved. The XJ8, its long wheelbase Daimler equivalents and the road-meltingly quick supercharged XJR are as impressive as any saloons Jaguar has ever built. And the magnificent looking XK8 and XKR coupe/convertible range are right in the supercar league.

Mercedes has been expanding its model range faster than some cautious observers think may be wise - but that was before the merger with Chrysler was announced, to wipe out all previous calculations. Here as on the Continent, the Mercedes 600, which in six-litre long- wheelbase form is another car costing over #100,000, reigns all but supreme.

The company's great rivals in Munich counter with cars like the BMW 7-series saloons and the sometimes under-rated 8-series coupe. And the two manufacturers fight it out in the mainstream executive sector too. Few potential buyers completely disregard the 5-series BMW or the C-class and E-class Mercedes.

Lexus is an interesting notion, a luxury car marque owned by, but treated as a separate entity by, its creators at Toyota. The LS400 is a majestic piece of engineering, and the GS 300 shows that Lexus can take a sportier line too. Like those of several other luxury car manufacturers, Lexus customers are cossetted with various special arrangements.

Looking at it from the point of view of somebody in the world of publishing, for instance, it is quite remarkable that there is a lavishly produced glossy magazine for UK Lexus owners - a recent issue included features on golf, diamonds, international cuisine, expensive yachts and Grand Prix racing - who must, by definition, be a numerically fairly exclusive group themselves.