The D-Type is one of the most famous Jaguars ever. Since with fame usually comes fortune, the few remaining D-Types out there command outrageous prices at auctions. In fact, the car is expected to fetch around $4 million, which would put it right up there with some of the most expensive Ferrari cars from the era.
One of only 54 cars produced for privateer customers, this XCD 530 chassis has been used mainly for ice racing, believe it or not, as the car was originally sold to a Finnish professional tennis player who was also known for his racing exploits in F3 midget cars and a Jaguar C-Type.
If at first glance you’d think that the D-Type was created by a racing engineer, and not by a fully fledged designer, you would be half right. The body was penned by Malcolm Sayer, who worked for the Bristol Aeroplane Company before Jaguar, and who was also responsible for the immortal C, D and E-Types, XJ13 prototype and the XJS.
The hood is dominated by three bulges, two of which make room for the wheels and one for the inline-six engine. From the side it looks a bit different than the D-Types that raced at Le Mans, mainly because the distinctive stabilizing fin behind the driver has been replaced with the headrest fairing that was common on 1950s open-cockpit race cars.
This D-Type example was factory-tuned by Jaguar at the request of its first owner, with the 3.8-liter inline-six engine sporting three larger Weber carburetors and a different engine block. The power is around 300 horsepower, which shouldn't be so scary on a car that weighs about as much as a Lotus Elise, sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. The model was among the first race cars with disc brakes, but handling should be on the terrifying side at high speed because of the live rear axle with trailing links and a transverse torsion bar.
The car was restored to its former glory back in 2003, comes with FIA papers and was featured in Jaguar World Monthly magazine. Whether its new owner will take it to historic races or keep it as a garage queen remains to be seen, but either way its value should only go upward.
| Type |
3,781 cc DOHC inline six-cylinder engine |
|---|---|
|
Output |
300 HP |
|
Transmission |
Four-speed manual |
|
Top Speed |
160 MPH |
|
0 to 60 mph |
5.7 seconds |
