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1955 Jaguar D-Type Re-creation Chassis no. CAD002 Engine no.…
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Sydney
Date:
6-Dec-2009
Lot No.
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Description:
1955 Jaguar D-Type Re-creation Chassis no. CAD002 Engine no. 7B63737-8 'This 190mph technical masterpiece, designed, built and prepared totally within Jaguar, was to achieve a hat-trick of spectacular Le Mans victories in the 1950s.' - Paul Skilleter, Jaguar: The Sporting Heritage. The Jaguar C-Type had won the coveted Le Mans 24 Hour race twice (in 1951 and 1953) and was still competitive when Chief Engineer Bill Heynes and his team set about designing its successor. Moving the game on Heynes abandoned the C-Type's tubular spaceframe chassis, adopting instead an aluminium monocoque body tub to which the aluminium front subframe carrying the engine and suspension was welded. It was an immensely far-sighted design, though later versions switched to a bolted-on steel framework. As ever, victory at Le Mans was Jaguar's first priority and so a great deal of attention was paid to getting the aerodynamics right. Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer duly came up with an efficient, wind-cheating shape that enabled the D-Type to outrun the opposition despite having a deficit of over 100 horsepower on occasions. In so doing he also created one of the most beautiful racing sports cars ever made. As well as building cars for the works team, Jaguar also undertook a limited production run for sale to privateers and between 1954 and 1957 some 87 in total of all variants were produced at Jaguar's Coventry factory. Jaguar's multiple Le Mans wins in the 1950s - twice with the C-Type and three times with its D-Type successor - as well as numerous victories in the other great classic endurance events, have ensured a continuing healthy demand for replicas of these rare and exotic works sports-racers. Unlike many modern replica D-Types, which employ tubular steel chassis frames, the car offered here is a painstakingly recreated exact copy of a 1955 production D-Type. The work of Classic Autocraft of Mortlake, Nsw, this car incorporates a riveted monocoque body tub (remade using original drawings, as was the body), bolt-on front subframe, torsion bar suspension at front and rear, dry sump lubrication, rubber bag fuel tank and all-round disc brakes with Plessey pump. Collected over many years, some of the parts used are genuine factory items that came to Australia with the production D-Type, 'Xkd 510'. These include the inlet manifold, carburettors, dry sump and water pump castings, speedometer and rev counter, steering rack housing, cam covers, gearbox bell housing, starter button, light switches, fuel tank bladder and five wheels. Where period parts were unavailable, remanufactured D-Type components were sourced from recognised specialists. Mechanically and cosmetically, this car is correct in every detail and we are advised that many experts have inspected it without detecting any differences from an original. Whereas the production Jaguar D-Type was limited to using the 3.4-litre version of the Xk engine, the biggest available at the time, replica manufacturers and builders are afforded the luxury of choosing either of the two larger Xk sixes introduced subsequently: the '3.8', even when mildly tuned, is easily capable of exceeding the original's 250bhp maximum output. The example offered here is powered by a 3.8-litre Xk six-cylinder engine breathing via correct triple Weber 45DCO3 twin-choke carburettors. Having travelled just some 700 miles since its completion, viewing this immaculate piece of engineering artistry is akin to stepping back in time to 1955.
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified