What's all this then?
Remember the 1950s?
Everything was in black and white, there was still a tang of austerity in the air and men wore hats; something like that?
Something like that, yes. Well, Jaguar certainly remembers the 1950s - after all, its D-Type sports car won Le Mans three times in a row between 1955 and 1957 and although demand for the D waned in the wake of those victories, Jaguar decided to use up the stock of D-Type parts to create the XKSS sports car, using the same chassis and 250hp 3.4-litre six-cylinder engine as the racer. That's like Mercedes-AMG deciding that they've got a few spare Lewis Hamilton chassis lying around and deciding to knock up a couple of quickie road-going F1 cars...
The XKSS was stunning in the fifties, good enough to catch the eye (and wallet) of Steve McQueen, but only 16 were built when a terrible fire swept through Jaguar's factory in Coventry, taking with it nine XKSSs that were already on the production line.
Now, following on from the success of the £1 million E-Type Lightweight recreation last year, Jaguar is bringing back the XKSS and the Jaguar Classic division will hand-make the 'lost' nine XKSSs for customers with a price tag starting at that same £1 million mark.
The cars will be built by Jaguar's newly-renamed Jaguar Classic division at a special facility in Warwick. Tim Hannig, Director Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: "The XKSS occupies a unique place in Jaguar's history and is a car coveted by collectors the world over for its exclusivity and unmistakable design. Jaguar Classic's highly skilled team of engineers and technicians will draw on decades of knowledge to ensure each of the nine cars is completely authentic and crafted to the highest quality. Our continuation XKSS reaffirms our commitment to nurture the passion and enthusiasm for Jaguar's illustrious past by offering exceptional cars, services, parts and experiences."
Deliveries will begin in 2017.
Neil Briscoe - 23 Mar 2016