This car has Serial No. XKD507 and is powered by the 3442 cc (210 cubic-inch) six-cylinder in-line engine with double overhead camshafts, two valves per cylinder, three dual-throat Weber carburetors, developing 270 horsepower at 6000 rpm. This car carried Jaguar honors to the U.S. when purchased by Briggs Cunningham. An ailing engine had curtailed its race at LeMans in 1955. After delivery to New York and Alfred Momo's care, the car enjoyed a splendid season. Sherwood Johnston driving to victory in the Watkins Glen Grand Prix and the Eisenhower Trophy at Hagerstown, Maryland. Briggs Cunningham became the new Jaguar distributor for the Northeast and consequently fielded a full team in competition. With Walt Hansgen driving, the D-Type won SCCA C-Modified Championships in 1956 and 1957. The D's highest speed ever - 185 mph at Bonneville - was also recorded in the U.S. Prior to the 1955 Jaguar D-Type's victory at Lime Rock in 1957, the car had already experienced a successful run with Sherman Johnston at the helm in 1955, winning at Watkins Glen and Hagerstown, Maryland, among other venues. This would give Johnston the 1955 SCCA National Championship. The Briggs-Cunningham racing team purchased the car in 1956, and the D-Type would once again with the SCCA Championship in 1956 and 1957. The partnership with Briggs-Cunningham would bring Jaguar to prominence in the United States, as the Briggs-Cunningham team would field a full fleet of Jaguars in competition. Sadly, fire at the Coventry factory destroyed five D-types in February 1957, and this would mark the end of production of the car.Source - Historical notes courtesy of The Collier Collection
The Jaguar D-Type is legendary among sports racers of the 1950s. These beautiful aerodynamic roadsters won the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1955, 1956, and 1957. This example, chassis #XD-515, is completely intact having seen little racing action over the years. It was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 2006.
Entered and raced at the 1956 running of the 12 Hours of Sebring by Sr. Gomez Mena along with his co-driver, Sr. Santiago Gonzales. The two ran a strong race, starting from the front third of a field of 59 entrants. They ran as high as 11th overall up to the ninth hour of the race. In the tenth hour, they moved into 10th spot and in the eleventh hour, after pitting for fuel, they took the field in 8th, where the stayed until race end. In 1994, Tom Mittler purchased the car from Symbolic Motor Car Company and has participated in races beginning in 1995 through the present, at Moroso, Mid-Ohio, Sebring, Road America, and Carolina Motorsports Park.
Jaguar was a highly motivated company that wanted the ultimate success with their D-Type - to be victorious at Le Mans. They provided factory support to privateers. With the case of XKD 513, it was prepared by Jaguar Works and then put through extensive testing at MIRA by Norman Dewis. It was painted in French Racing Blue and given racing number 17. It was entrusted to Jean Lucas and Jean-Marie Brousselet to perform the driving duties at the 1957 LeMans. The car averaged 110.16 miles per hour during the 24 Hour race and finished in 3rd place. Other D-Types finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 6th. This puts it in the elite class of just ten D-Types to ever place at Le Mans, a very heroic accomplishment considering there were 87 examples constructed. After the 1957 Le Mans, the car returned to the factory in preparation for the 1958 event. It was given an experimental three-liter engine, number EE1208-10, in order to comply with the new ACD regulations. This car, along with 4 other D-Types, were fitted with this three-liter engine from the factory. At the 1958 Le Mans race, 513 was driven by Brousselet and Andre Guelfi for Peignaux. Three hours into the race, a storm flooded the track and made visibility near impossible. Three hours later, atleast 12 cars had been involved in serious accidents. Hours later, at 10 pm, Brousselet lost control of the D-Type in the rain and was hit by Bruce Kessler's NART Ferrari. Kessler continued for a few more laps before finally retiring. The D-Type, however, was out of the race. The bonnet and rear tail section of hte D-Type were scrapped at LeMans and the car was put into storage, where it would remain for hte following two years. It was purchased by Giovanni Michelotti in 1960. He removed the remainder of the damaged body panels leaving just the undamaged D-Type chassis. Using his talents, he created a coupe body that sat atop the original lower panels. Upon completion, this unique creation was shown at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show where it was awarded first place. The car remained in Michelotti's care until the late 1960s, when ownership transferred to Richard P. Carter, who had it imported into the United States. It would remain with Mr. Carter until 1973, selling to Andrew Gortway. Mr. Gortway shipped the car to England and into the car of Lynx Cars, a Jaguar specialist. The shop was commissioned to perform a complete restoration bringing it back to its original Le Mans configuration. The Michelloti coupe body was removed, revealing the original D-Type parts. Both the Michelotti coupe body and the XKD 513 were later sold. Laurence Bristow purchased XKD 513 who continued with the restoration. The original mechanical components, and other sourced from XKD 511, were utilized in the re-build. By the close of the 1970s, the restoration of XKD 513 was complete and returned to the United States. Peter Giddings became the cars next owner and continued its racing career, entering it in many events throughout California. It was later sold to Bob Baker of Nebraska. Baker continued to race the car, entering it in events such as the Monterey Historics, Sears Point and the Mille Miglia Storica. In 1986, the car was sold to Bill Chizar and then to Terry Larson in 1988. Larson raced the car in several events, including the Colorado Grand, the California Mille, the Copperstate 1000, the Monterey Historics, Firebird Lake, and the PIR & Swiss Jaguar Tour. In 1997 and 1998, it participated in the Factory D-Type Cavalcade to LeMans. This car has been featured in numerous publications, including the April 1986 issue of Road & Track. It has been featured in Collector Car News, Autoweek, and Victory Lane magazine. It is powered by the 3.8-liter engine, though the 3-liter experimental engine still accompanies the car. It has a great history, is well documented, and wears a professional restoration by England's premier Jaguar restoration firm. In 2008, this Jaguar D-Type was offered for sale at the Gooding & Company Auction held in Pebble Beach, California. Sadly, bidding failed to satisfy the reserve and the lot was left unsold.
At its first time at Le Mans, the D-Type nearly repeated its predecessor's feat of winning the event. The D-Type driven by Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton finished a bare 1 3/4 minutes behind the Ferrari 375 Plus driven by Gonzalez / Trintignant. Jaguar scheduled 100 production D-Types to be created. This number was later reduced to 67 in August of 1955, and by the end of that year all the cars were basically completed and had been assigned chassis numbers. Many had been sold, though some were still seeking ownership. By early 1957, in an effort to boost sales, some unsold D-Types were used to create the XK SS. This particular car is chassis number XKD 544 and powered by engine number E5018-10. It had been constructed in 1955 and was painted in the traditional British racing green. By autumn it was undergoing tests at the M.I.R.A. test track at Nuneaton with nearly all of the D-Types being tested by Les Bottril of the experimental department. XKD-544 was sent to Jaguar's main dealership of Brooklands of Bond Street in central London and put on display and would not return back to the factory in January of 1957. It was then updated with all the current modifications form the race program. By this point in history, it still had not found a buyer and was eventually reduced to spares. Jaguar completed this auction on August 12th of 1957. Near the close of 1957, Harold Thompson, the head of the fiberglass department, was tasked with creating a fiberglass composite to replace the fabricated aluminum alloy sheet skin. After the body was completed, Norman Dewis, the factory development engineer, tested the car at M.I.R.A. on several occasions. The results of those test found that the construction, fiberglass materials, and resins were not strong enough to cope with the power of the car. The car remained as a factory test mule and for display and demonstration for several years. After the D-Type was replaced by the E2A, eventually becoming the E-Type, this car was lost to history. It re-appeared in early May of 1959, when Autosport Magazine carried an advertisement for the car on behalf of Philip Newby Cars Ltd. of Allesley Road, Coventry. The purchaser is not known, and later re-appeared up for sale in Dyserth, North Wales, advertised again in Autosport on August 14, 1964. The car was purchased by Peter Butt, a London dealer specializing in XK Jaguars. Peter Butt began acquiring original D-Type parts for a restoration project. He sought out Harold Thompson, the original builder of the car, to learn more about the car. Thompson revealed that the car was the officially-sanctioned fiberglass D-Type whose body shell he had built in the factory experimental fiberglass shop, using a D-type chassis frame and other D-type parts. By 1975, Peter Butt realized he was not going to complete the restoration of the car and sold it to John Pearson, who sold it to David Cottingham of DK engineering, who later sold it to Ronald Stern in 1978. The car was entrusted to Jaguar race specialist Lynx Engineering and commissioned them to make a workable car with an aluminum monocoque. The car was later sold to David Duffy who intended to prepare the car for historic racing. The car was given a new D-Type aluminum alloy monocoque to exacting original specifications. New exterior panels were fabricated by RS Panels to original specifications. An appropriate (later) D-Type specification engine was built, displacing 3.8-liters and fitted with many other original D-Type parts. The restoration work was completed in 1981. Duffy raced the car for three years including a Mille Miglia retrospective before selling it in 1984 to David Vine. It was pass through several more owners throughout the years. It has been extensively raced in historic and vintage events. Andrew Pisker of UK Oakfields purchased the car in 1995. It continued its racing career proving to be a competitive and highly reliable machine over a five year international historic racing career. Donaldson finished a close second in the prestigious Goodwood Revival Meeting. In 2001, the car was sold to Christian Trierenberg of Austria before it was purchased by its current owner in 2006. This D-Type is one of only 42 production D-Types built and its historic identity is supported by the FIA papers it retains, making it eligible for important international racing events. The 3781cc engine has dual overhead camshafts, three Weber carburetors, and is rated at 265 horsepower. There is a four-speed fully synchronized manual transmission, a tube frame with monocoque center section, and four-wheel disc brakes. In 2009, this D-Type XKD544 was offered for sale at the Houston Classic Auction in Seabrook, Texas presented by Worldwide Auctioneers. Bidding quickly exceeded one million dollars. From there it went to two million, and slowly climed to 2.25 million. This is where bidding would stop. As the gavel came down for the final time, the lot had not sold due to its reserve.
The Jaguar D-Type sports cars were produced from 1954 through 1957. These factory-built race cars were similar to the C-Type, but given more powerful engines, improved chassis, and aerodynamic bodies. Walter Hassan was tasked with designing a sportscar for Jaguar. The result was the XK-120 which showed promise on the racing circuit. Although the alloy bodied cars were fast, it would not be a serious contender at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Further development was needed. In 1951 the XK 120 C, also known as the C-Type, was prepared and ready for testing at Le Mans. The straight-six cylinder engine had been modified to production 210 horsepower and various other mechanical enhancements greatly improve the performance. Three C-Types were entered in the Le Mans race with two failing to finish. The third C-Type finished strong, winning the event while averaging 93.49 miles-per-hour. Three experimental C-Types were entered in LeMans in 1952. A long tail had been applied to the C-Type in an effort to improve aerodynamics and stability during the long, straight stretches. Unfortunately, all three failed to finish due to overheating problems. For 1953, the use of experimental bodies was scrapped in favor of the tradition bodies. The factory cars were fitted with disc brakes. In the end, this combination proved to be all that was necessary to score top finishes. To stay ahead of the competition, Jaguar began working on a Le Mans replacement for the C-Type, resulting in six D-Types in 1954. The D-Type was constructed of a monocoque-type chassis welded to a subframe. Later versions of the car were bolted, rather than welded, to allow easy detachment. The same XK engine was used, albeit with minor modifications such as the use of dry-sump lubrication. The frontal area to house the engine was decreased. This was to provide for higher top speeds as Le Mans. A large fin was place behind the driver to provide stability at speeds in excess of 150 mph. Due to the new design, additional modifications to the shape and size of the engine were required to fit it into the engine bay. It was tilted 8-degrees, resulting in an off-center bump in the hood. The 1955 D-Types used asymmetrical heads, known as '35/40' heads, with intake valves positioned at 35-degress and exhaust valves at 40-degrees. Four D-Types were entered into the 1954 Le Mans race and were not enough to beat the powerful Ferraris. 1955 modifications propelled the Jaguar marque to its third LeMans victory. A Mercedes-Benz SLR was leading the Jaguar by two laps when it was withdrawn from the race. Though 1955 meant another victory at LeMans for Jaguar, it was a devastating year for the sport. The Mercedes-Benz SLR's were poised to capture the victory when a tragic accident occurred, involving an SLR, and killing the driver and 80 spectators. Mercedes-Benz withdrew from the race and from motorsports. Most of the D-Types were single seaters and built for the race track. During the final year of production, Jaguar offered the Jaguar XKSS, a street version of the race car. XKSS Twenty-five of the 68 Jaguar D-Type race cars were left unsold when Jaguar decided to cease its participation in the International Sports Car Racing program. Jaguar decided to convert the 25 remaining vehicles into road-worthy sports cars. The rear fin was removed, bumpers were added, and the single-seater was left topless with a canvas hood available to protect the driver from the elements. A windscreen was designed and a second door was added to accommodate passengers. With a Dual-Overhead Cam straight-six cylinder engine with 3442 cc capacity, the vehicle could race from zero to sixty in 7.3 seconds. The 250 horsepower output was capable of propelling the car to a top speed of nearly 150 miles-per-hour. Excellent stopping power was provided by the 4-wheel disc brakes. In 1957, the XKSS was introduced at the New York Auto Show. Sixteen private buyers purchased the XK-SS with the majority going to the United States. Two went to Canada, one to Hong Kong, one in the UK, and the rest to America. There were over 300 examples being built when a fire destroyed the machinery, assembly line, and most of the XKSS models. Steve McQueen, a film star and motor racing fan purchased one. McQueen is famous for his documentary of the 24 Hours of LeMans.
JAGUAR D-TYPE RETURNS TO SCENE OF HISTORIC LE MANS VICTORYJaguar's iconic D-Type sports racing car is set for an historic return to the scene of its most famous racing victory, in a celebration of the 50th anniversary of an unparalleled 1-2-3-4-6 finish at Le Mans in 1957. For more information and related vehicles, click here© 1998-2009. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The actual winning and second placed cars from 1957 are scheduled to reappear on the track at the Sarthe circuit in June, with the kind permission of their owners Evert Louwman and Sir Anthony Bamford. It will be the first time they have been reunited at the scene since that epic domination of the world's most challenging race. They will be joined by the similar cars owned by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust and Dick Skipworth. The celebration has been painstakingly planned by Michael Quinn, grandson of Jaguar's founder Sir William Lyons, in conjunction with the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. 'The 1957 victory for Jaguar was such a landmark at Le Mans that we were determined that the 50 th anniversary of it should be properly celebrated. It was, after all, a major British triumph and a great achievement for a relatively small manufacturer at the time. The Le Mans victories really helped put Jaguar firmly on the world map,' said Michael. 'Now, in 2007, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest has given its permission for the 1957 D-Types to take part in the 24 Hour trophy presentation on the start-finish straight, just before this year's race begins. Additionally they will be driven around the circuit in the Motor Racing Legends Cavalcade on Saturday morning for three victory laps.' Jaguar had officially pulled out of racing in 1957, but were focused on adding to their success at Le Mans and so provided fully-prepared D-Types for legendary Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse, which had won the previous year, to compete on their behalf. After a tough 24 hours that had taken a high toll on the finishers, it was the partnership of Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb that eventually seized victory thereby making Jaguar the most successful marque in the history of the race. It was also Ron's second successive win. Right behind were Ninian Sanderson and John Lawrence, and third place went to Jean Lucas and Jean-Marie Brussin. Belgian journalist Paul Frere and 'Freddy' Rouselle finished fourth, with Mike Hawthorn and Masten Gregory sixth. Half a century later, 1957 remains one of the most dominant victories in the history of the classic 24-hour endurance race, and crowned a hat-trick of wins at Le Mans for Jaguar and its innovative D-Type. These wins in turn followed on from two earlier successes with the C-Type, winning in 1951 and 1953. It was also significant as a fitting tribute to Jaguar's tireless efforts to bring success and motor racing glory back to Britain in the 1950s, a golden era of motor sport. The Midlands-based manufacturer would not win there again until the late 1980s, the Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9LM taking first and fourth in 1988. The 2007 Le Mans 24 Hour race takes place on the 8.45 miles French circuit of La Sarthe during June 16 and 17.Source - Jaguar |
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Automobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com
subscribe - RSSAutomobile information, history, and specifications from concept to production. | © 1998-2009 Conceptcarz.com