The Jaguar XKSS (pictured) is finally completing its production run
The Jaguar XKSS – a road-going version of the D-Type – is to finally complete its run of 25 cars nearly 60 years later, thanks to Jaguar Classic.
For those who don’t know, the XKSS was created by Jaguar when they withdrew from racing in the mid 1950s, and discovered they had 25 D-Type chassis left over.
Instead of mothballing the chassis – or destroying them – Jaguar decided to give the D-Types a passenger seat and door, a windscreen, some basic chrome bumpers and a canvas roof, and sell them as road-going racers.
Sadly, Jaguar had completed just 16 of the XKSS cars when fire ravaged the Browns Lane factory in February 1957, destroying nine of the D-Type chassis and capping the run of cars to just 16.
Now, Jaguar Classic are going to re-create the XKSS as a ‘continuation’ model (much as they did with the Lightweight E-Type), and each is to be hand-built at Jaguar’s new Experiential Shop in Warwick, constructed to the same (basic) specification as the original 16 XKSSs and costing over £1,000,000 each.
Tim Hannig, Jaguar Classic boss, said:
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.
The first ‘new’ Jaguar XKSS will be ready to deliver early in 2017 – exactly 60 years on from the Browns Lane fire – so if you have a spare million or so, and you covet perhaps the most appealing of classic Jags, you’d better pick up the phone to Tim Hannig.
Although it may already be too late.
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