Jaguar XKSS
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Jaguar XKSS is a road-going version of the Jaguar D-Type racing car, initially built in 1957. Only 16 were built and sold at the time.https://media.jaguarlandrover.com/news/2017/11/jaguar-classic-xkss-continuation-crowned-car-year-2017-octane-awards "Jaguar Classic XKSS Continuation Crowned Car of the Year at 2017 Octane Awards", ''Jaguar.com''
/ref> Nine chassis were destroyed in a factory fire in 1957 before they could be completed. In 2016 Jaguar announced that a small production run of nine "continuation" XKSS reproductions would be hand-built to the original specifications to complete the originally scheduled run of 25.


History

Following
Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...
's withdrawal from competition at the end of the 1956 season, a number of D-types remained unsold at the Browns Lane factory. In an attempt to recoup some of the investment made in building unused
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
, and to exploit the lucrative American market for high-performance European sports cars, Sir
William Lyons Sir William Lyons"Sir William Lyons – The Official Biography" by Philip Porter & Paul Skilleter, Haynes Publishing (4 September 1901 – 8 February 1985), known as "Mr. Jaguar", was with fellow motorcycle enthusiast William Walmsley, the c ...
decided to convert a number of them to road-going specification. Structural changes would include the removal of the bulkhead creating a single driver's cockpit, elimination of the large fin behind the driver, and addition of a passenger side door. In addition, numerous changes were required to be made for cosmetic, comfort and legal reasons to turn a basic D-type, a race car design, into a street-legal passenger car. These included creating a full two-abreast interior; adding a full-width, chrome-surrounded windscreen; adding sidescreens to both driver and passenger doors; creating a rudimentary, folding, fabric roof; adding chromed front and rear bumpers; and mounting XK140 rear light clusters high on the wings; and adding thin chrome strips to the edges of the front light fairings. By early 1957 a total of 16 of the planned production run of 25 XKSS's had been completed at Jaguar's Browns Lane plant. On the evening of 12 February a fire broke out, destroying the remaining nine All of the destroyed vehicles had been destined for North America. Most of the previously built 16 XKSSs were also sold in the US. In March 2016, Jaguar announced that it would be completing the original 25 car order by hand-building the remaining nine XKSS roadsters to the exact original specification, and assigning them the chassis numbers of the destroyed cars. The "continuation" reproductions were expected to sell for more than £1 million each.


Collectors

The American actor
Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...
owned a Jaguar XKSS for personal use, painted British racing green. He referred to the car as the "Green Rat". In 2010 and 2011 it toured the United States as part of the "Allure of the Automobile" exhibit. Steve McQueen's XKSS is currently on display in Los Angeles, California at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Another XKSS, along with a D-type and C-type, formed the pinnacle of the James Hull collection, a collection of 450 British cars sold for an estimated £100 million in 2014. Other XKSS include XKSS 722 at the Louwman Museum in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
.


References


External links


Road test
of The Peterson Museum's XKSS at
Jay Leno's Garage ''Jay Leno's Garage'' is an American web and former television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars and motorbikes starring Jay Leno, the former host of ''The Tonight Show''. Originally a web series for NBC.com, a special aired on CNBC in ...
* {{Jaguar Xkss Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Sports cars