Jaguar's New 'Continuation' Project Is A Spectacular D-Type
Jaguar has restarted production of the world-famous, world-beating D-type race-derived sports car, and you’d better prepare to want one.
Just 25 of the spectacular recreations will be built at JLR Classic Works in Warwickshire, finishing the original planned run of 100 that was ultimately limited to 75.
It’s a continuation of a wider heritage project that has also produced the Lightweight E-type Continuation and the more recent XKSS Continuation – the rebirth of nine cars that were lost in a factory fire in the late 1950s.
Like those XKSSs, the new D-types will be built to completely, totally original spec. Buyers of the new D-types can choose 1956 longnose or 1955 shortnose body styles, but both will be totally devoid of the comforts of modern engineering. They will be, to use Jaguar’s words, ‘period-correct.’ They won’t be easy to drive.
Each car will have a 1950s-spec straight-six engine built to the original plans and tolerances, as set out by competitions manager Lofty England (the best name in motorsport history?) and his team of engineers 60 years ago.
The engineering prototype is in longnose spec. As you’d expect, the bonnet is longer, it has the fin behind the driver’s head, a wide-angle cylinder head and ‘quick-change’ brake calipers. Most importantly, though, it’s absolutely stunning.
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.”
Comments
When the new low drag E-types were made Lord March said: “These cars will never get an invitation to the Goodwood members meeting.”
It’s great that they are finishing the production but I feel that they shouldn’t be put under the same name as the original D-types.
Hes just jelly he cant have one….seen him in a few interviews …sounds like a right self righteous tool….if id brought one of those cars I’d just take it along to Goodwood to spite him 😂
He also called them ‘replicas’ as far as I remember from a Channel 4 documentary. But if anything, they’re just the same cars built much later on.
Perfection
Okay, now I’ve got a strong feeling that more manufactures will re-build some of their iconic classics. I’m now waiting for Ferrari to release ‘new’ 250 GTOs and Lamborghini to make some new Miuras. Heck, even Mercedes might hop onto the bandwagon and make some continuation 300SL Gullwings!
Jaguar just has a lot of unused VINs I believe.
See, with brands like Ferrari and Lamborghini, I really think we should leave their classics alone. If, say, they built a new 250 GTO it wouldn’t be as special as the original. It’s like when they remade Ghostbusters with a female cast. Same movie, same subject, but it just wasn’t as good as the original. I think it would be too much of a good thing, and knowing it happened and we can still enjoy it is better.
They just finish off their original production run
Jaguar is turning into Schrodinger’s manufacturer: simultaneously recreating and $hitting all over its magnificent heritage
“$hitting all over its heritage” as in building cars that actually work now?
They are wrong these continuations. Let’s be honest, original D-Types were poorly finished but mechanical spot on because they are racing cars. These continuations are too perfect.
They won’t even upgrade the brakes?
No, nothing. Same serial numbers like they would have had if they were produced in 1955, same materials, same plans, even the same factory tolerances.
I love independent Carduretors…
Oh what i would give to drive one…
I happen to know a guy who use to own a Jaguar D-Type with actual Le Mans specification chassis and he rebuilt it from a chassis with the Original team who built the car and it had somewhere around 450bhp+ with it weighing less than a ton and you have had to have held a race licence to drive the thing and I know 1 of the 2 people licenced to drive the car it was so fast it could out strip a police spec intercept car of the late 1980s and could scare my grandmother just by letting out the clutch, as for its current location, its in Munich and its in a museum never to be driven again