1957 Jaguar XKSS

Jaguar XKSS (Sports), 1957

The Jaguar XKSS was in production during 1957. Styled in house by Jaguar, it is a front-engine, rear wheel drive sports car seating two adults.

The XKSS was born of Jaguar's withdrawal from competition at the end of the 1956 season. With a number of D-type shells and chassis left, Sir William Lyons felt that he could take advantage of the American desire for European sportscars by creating a roadgoing D-type using the components that were left. Minor changes were needed - a second door, the removal of the fin, the fitment of a full width windscreen and a hood were about all it took to convert the car from racer to road car. Jaguar planned to make 25, but in fact only completed the first sixteen. The remaining nine were lost to the fire at Browns Lane in February 1957.

They used the same 3.4-litre engine as the D-type, developing 262bhp and propelling the XKSS to 60 in under six seconds. Famous owners included Steve McQueen, who sought his old car out after he sold it in order to re-buy it. It subsequently stayed with him until his death. The sixteen became almost mythical in Jaguar circles, prized above all else and valued to match. But in recent years, the story has expanded beyond those sixteen examples. In 2016 and 2017, Jaguar reallocated the chassis numbers of the nine cars destroyed in the fire, and through its Classic arm produced the final nine cars to complete the original allocation. These nine are not road legal, but are worth similar money to the original sixteen despite this. Up to date CAD scanning techniques and hand production of parts has ensured that these nine remain identical to the original XKSS production run in every way.

There are no real competitors to the XKSS barring D-type racers, and possible the Mercedes-Benz 300SL. It was a Le Mans car for the road, putting it into a class more rarefied than the cosmetically similar E-type. Perhaps, for those on a budget, a D-type replica might serve as a passable stand-in? But for the sort of enthusiast who wants and can afford an XKSS, nothing else will do.