1953 Hansgen Jaguar Special

The DOHC six-cylinder engine found in the post-War Jaguars was developed by Sir. William Lyons, the founder of Jaguar, and engineers William Heynes, Claude Baily, and Walter Hassan in the mid-1940s. Harry Weslake consulted on the crossflow head.

The prototype, which was shown at the 1948 Earls Court Motor Show, was completed in just six weeks. The response was sensational; the car was modern, smooth, and seductive. In June of 1948, the XK-'120' reached the advertised 120 mph top speed, with a timed run on Belgium's Jabbeke Highway. It was the world's fastest production car at that point in history.

Production cars were ready by July of 1949, with the early examples constructed from aluminum. After 240 aluminum-bodied cars were built, the bodies were changed over to steel. A fixed-head coupe was added to the line-up in August of 1951.

Walt's father had an auto shop, and one of the employees was named Emil Hoffman. Emil provided assistance to Walt in transforming his Jaguar. It was given a lightweight chrome-moly tubing frame, a steering assembly from an MG TD, and a Hoffman-fabricated alloy body based on a design by Hansgen. The rear axle and the front suspension were retained from the XK-120, and coil springs and a locked differential were added. The 3.4-liter Jaguar engine was modified with a higher compression ratio and a racing camshaft.

With the Hansgen Jaguar, Hansgen won at Cumberland in May of 1953, Cumberland in July of 1953, and Watkins Glen in September 1953.

Walt Hansgen would enjoy a successful and tragic racing career. He became a four-time SCCA Road Racing Champ, and he participated in two Formula One Grand Prix events where he scored a total of two championship points. In 1966, while testing at the 24 Hours of LeMans, Hansgen was involved in a crash that claimed his life. He was driving a 7-liter Holman & Moody Ford GT40 MK2 sports car when it aquaplaning on the wet track.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2017