Description
Sold | £149, 500 GBP
Expert recreation of the famed Jaguar XKSS, the road-going relation of the D-Type
Constructed between 2015 and 2017 by noted Jaguar race car specialist Jim Tester
Built upon an E-Type Series 1 donor chassis; powered by a 3. 4-litre XK straight-six, a period-correct engine type for the XKSS
Dry-stored since completion until 2024; recommissioned by Classic Performance Engineering of Silverstone
Hand-formed aluminium bodywork finished in black over a red leather interior
Please note if this car is exported outside of the UK an export license will be required.
A hat-trick of consecutive victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans between 1955 and 1957 ensures that the Jaguar D-Type ranks among the most revered competition cars of all time. The marque later withdrew from the World Sportscar Championship owing to a rule change that limited engine capacity to three litres. As a result, to recoup some of its investment and to target the North American market’s wealthy amateur racers, 25 of its D-Type chassis were slated to be converted for road use.
By adding a windscreen, mohair roof, luggage rack, passenger door, side screens, and chromed bumpers—while removing the rear tail fin and cockpit divider—the legendary XKSS was born. Just 16 would leave the Browns Lane factory before a fire broke out, destroying the nine remaining chassis.
An expertly executed copy of those original cars, this XKSS Recreation started life in 1967 as an E-Type Series 1 4. 2-Litre Roadster that was sold in New York. Subsequently acquired by the consigning owner and registered in the United Kingdom from April 2015, chassis number 1E16062 was swiftly submitted to Jaguar race car specialist Jim Tester of Team Racing & Engineering in Daventry for transformation.
As part of the process carried out through to 2017, the riveted aluminium sheet bodywork was crafted by Robert Gregson while a 3. 4-litre dry-sump XK straight-six engine—period-correct type for the XKSS, as also found in the Mark 2, S-Type, XK 120, and more—was fitted with triple Weber 45 DCOE carburettors and paired with an all-synchro gearbox. Finished in black, sporting 16-inch Dunlop peg-drive wheels, over a red leather interior with race-style harnesses, competition seats, and a padded transmission tunnel, the XKSS Recreation would immediately enter dry storage. Pulled out from its resting place in 2024, the car was recommissioned and road tested by Martin Greaves of Classic Performance Engineering, the renowned classic race car workshop based in Silverstone.
Painstakingly reimagined, this XKSS Recreation presents an excellent opportunity to acquire a recently recommissioned and excellently presented homage to one of the world’s rarest and most sought-after vehicles.
To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys. com/ auctions/ lf26/.
