What's this then?
It's a Jaguar D-Type.
Well, yes, but is there any more to this, or are we just looking at a pretty car?
That, and reporting the fact that Jaguar's classic department, flush with the success of its Lightweight E-Type and XKSS revivals, is going to build the missing D-Types.
There are missing D-Types?
Well, sort of. Jaguar had originally planned to make 100, back in the fifties, but ended up building only 75. So these 'reborn' versions will be those 25 leftover chassis numbers, built to the original standards and specifications, using original drawings, parts and components. Buyers can choose from the original 1955 'Shortnose' spec (as used by Mike Hawthorn to win the tragic 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours) or the 1956 'Longnose' (as used by Ecurie Ecosse to win Le Mans in '56 and '57). Longnose cars, as per the grey version shown off at Retromobile in Paris this week, also get wide-angle heads for the 3.8-litre XK engine, the iconic tail-fin for stability on the Mulsanne, and quick-change brake calipers.
It'll be like Lofty England never left...
Quite, although quite how much one of these is going to cost (think £1million and then add on a random extra amount) or if they'll be eligible for historic racing (probably not...) are still to be decided and announced.
"The Jaguar D-Type is one of the most iconic and beautiful competition cars of all time, with an outstanding record in the world's toughest motor races. And it's just as spectacular today," Tim Hannig, Jaguar Land Rover Classic Director, said. "The opportunity to continue the D-Type model's success story, by completing its planned production run in Coventry, is one of those once-in-a-lifetime projects that our world-class experts at Jaguar Land Rover Classic are proud to fulfil."
Kev Riches, Jaguar Classic Engineering Manager, said, "Recreating the nine D-Type-derived XKSS models was hugely satisfying, and an even bigger technical challenge than the six missing Lightweight E-Type models. But lessons learned from the XKSS project have given us a head start on the final 25 D-Type models. Each one will be absolutely correct, down to the very last detail, just as Jaguar's Competitions Department intended."
Neil Briscoe - 7 Feb 2018