1967 | Jaguar XK-SS

1967 Jaguar XKSS Recreation built in 2015/17
Chassis number: TBA
Registration TBA.
DESCRIPTION: This XKSS re-creation was constructed in 2015-17 without regard to expense. The car was then professionally stored after build Prior to its recent recommissioning. Current mileage is 52 miles since build so the car is in effect brand new.
In July 2024 a complete re-commissioning, full set-up and comprehensive road test has been completed by Classic Performance Engineering in Bicester UK; well respected period race car specialists based at Bicester heritage centre. The car has hand-made, all-alloy bodywork using riveted aluminium sheet, the coachwork conforms to the original method of construction. Superbly finished in as new gloss black paint by Normandale of Daventry.
The interior is brand new smart red leather with competition harnesses, racing seats and a padded transmission tunnel. The car has a correct 3.4-litre, dry-sump engine with triple Weber 45DCOE carburettors.(c250bhp) Uprated throughout to maximise potential where possible. The car sits on 16", Dunlop-pattern, peg-drive alloy wheels with 3-eared spinners. Needless to say it is a very rapid machine indeed & also has a wonderful sound track from its side exit exhaust pipe.
Following Jaguar’s withdrawal from racing after the 1956 season, a number of both completed and incomplete D-Types remained in factory stock and unsold. The decision was made to convert these cars to road-going specification, for sale to enthusiasts, many of whom were in the States. The distinctive D-Type bodywork was modified with the removal of the divider between the seats and the large tail fin, followed by the addition of a passenger door, a full-width windscreen with a chromed frame, side screens in both driver and passenger doors and chromed quarter-bumpers. A simple folding mohair hood and side screens provided weather protection and a luggage rack was provided on the tail. Otherwise, the XKSS was a D-Type, barely, slightly tamed—a wolf that had no interest in dressing as a sheep.
It was a rare occasion when a ‘factory’ race car with only a few minor changes was then resold as a road car, and perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the people who bought an XKSS were amateur sportsmen who wound up racing them anyway. Yet not many had the chance to make such a dream their reality, regardless of the state of their bank balance, as, after only sixteen D-Types had been completed to XKSS specification, the remaining nine chassis were destroyed in a fire that swept through Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory. Since the intention had been only to build the model until the remaining D-Type stock was used up, the fire meant that the XKSS came to an end at that point.
The survivors of the sixteen 1957 models are today treasured as some of the world’s most valuable and fiercely prized classics, often hidden away in collections. The most frequently seen in photographs is that owned and enthusiastically driven, much to the consternation of studio executives, by Steve McQueen—a car now so famous that it has become a part of its owner’s legend.
Commissioned by the current owner in 2015, this XKSS re-creation took two years to complete. Utilising a painstakingly crafted body formed from riveted aluminium sheet, as was the original, exceptional lengths have been taken to achieve what must surely be one of the very best re-creations built to date. Attention to detail is evident wherever you look and the fit and finish are exemplary. Motivation is provided by a period-correct, 3.4-litre, dry sump, XK 6-cylinder breathing through triple Weber 45DCOE carburettors and the power output is fed through an all-synchro gearbox to a Jaguar independent rear axle. Everything on the SS is either fully refurbished or new with the underside being as detailed and as clean as the remainder of the vehicle.
Rolling on correct-style, 16’’ Dunlop peg-drive wheels, this hand-built XKSS re-creation offers a rare opportunity for the true Jaguar enthusiast to acquire, what to many, is one of the most iconic Jaguars ever produced. This special car would undoubtedly be welcome at classic/historic events all over the World, or would be equally at home simply nipping to the local hostelry in true Steve McQueen style! Your inspection is welcomed and encouraged to fully appreciate this exquisite machine. The car is UK road registered with a period number plate. The donor car was an october 1967 Left Hand Drive E type series 1 OTS & this is reflected on the V5c document. The original E type chassis plate is affixed to the bonnet of the car.
Viewings are by appointment in Northampton to qualified buyers.