1955 Jaguar XK-D D-Type Roadster

XKD 552 began life simply enough. After making the rounds at several dealer shows in the United Kingdom, the car was returned to the factory, where it was refurbished.

It began its' interesting life-long sojourn when it was then sold to Jaguar's Kenyan distributor in Nairobi, who in turn sold it to its first retain owner, John Manussis.

After racing the car for a year, Manussis sold the car to another African racer, in Dar-es-Saalam, in what was then Tanganyika. Subsequent to that, and after a brief stop in England for a minor refurbishment, XKD 552 was then shipped to its new owner in Trinidad. Its journey continued as it passed through the hands of various owners in Montreal and Toronto, Canada. In the 1960s it was sold to G. E. Phillips of Toronto, Canada, who kept it for many years until it was bought by Eric Traber of Switzerland, who had it restored.

The car was restored in 1988 by Terry Larson, the acknowledged expert on the C-Type and D-Type Jaguars. During the restoration, not a single new part was used. Known as a 'survivor' in the old car hobby, the only part on this D-Type that is not original is the Bonnet, which had to be replaced after a crash.

The current owner bought the car in 2003.

Since that restoration, at an age and at a value which would put many other cars in hermetically sealed garages, XKD 552 has competed in Italy's Historic Mille Miglia three times; the Le Mans Classic for historic cars; raced several Monterey Motorsports Reunions, California Milles, and Colorado Grandes. It has also participated in Terry Larson's Jaguar C & D-Type tour every year for the last ten years. Since restoration, the car has had no major mechanical work performed on it or cosmetic repairs performed, only normal maintenance.