Jaguar
C-type, D-type & Lightweight E-type
Register
By Terry Larson, Penny Woodley, Den Carlow, and Paul Skilleter
Edited by Anders Ditlev Clausager
These copies will go fast, order yours today!
It has been a long time since the previous extensive listing of C-type, D-type and Lightweight E-type cars was published in a 240 page book. The first really authoritative listings appeared in the two volumes Andrew Whyte wrote on Jaguar works competition cars in the 1980s, and these were updated in Philip Porter's 1995 publication on Jaguar Sports Racing Cars. Since then, the C-type Register published in 2001 has contributed a considerable amount of new information in print.
Now, some 13 years later, comes the Jaguar C-type, D-type & Lightweight E-type Register. The background to it all is that the earlier C-type Register was instigated by restorer and enthusiast Terry Larson (owner of XKC 017since 1987 and former owner of XKC 403 and XKD 513). He then later conceived the idea of updating the C-type Register and combining it with similar material on the D-type and Lightweight E-type. So was born the Jaguar C-type, D-type & Lightweight E-type Register which has just been published.
Terry's motivation to start this project long ago can be best summed up in this quote:
UNFORTUNATELY, IF RECENT HISTORY HAS TAUGHT US ANYTHING, IT IS SURELY THAT NOTHING BECOMES LOST IN THE MISTS OF TIME MORE QUICKLY THAN THE INDIVIDUAL HISTORY OF A CAR. THE PROCESS IS AIDED BY THE FACT THAT THOSE WITH FAULTY KNOWLEDGE ARE THE MOST LIKELY TO DISSEMINATE IT AUTHORITATIVELY AMONG THOSE WITH NO KNOWLEDGE AT ALL, AND, IF THE SALT OF VESTED INTERESTS IS ADDED, IT IS NOT LONG BEFORE THE REPLICA OF YESTERDAY BECOMES THE GENUINE ARTICLE OF TODAY. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SUCCESSFULLY STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING AND PROTECT THE MARQUE IS AN ACCURATE, DETAILED DOCUMENTATION OF THE HISTORICAL FACTS.
The book has been compiled with the help of many people worldwide, but along with Terry Larson, the key researchers have been Penny Woodley (owner of XKC 011 and former owner of the Griffiths collection), Den Carlow (a Jaguar Heritage volunteer, although this publication is independent of either Heritage or Jaguar itself) and Paul Skilleter. Crucially, the book has been edited by the recently retired JDHT chief archivist Anders Clausager, who has applied his usual rigour to the material. The publishing & printing was done with the help of Ole Sommer, owner of XKD 514, one of the most original D-types in existence.
To summarize its contents, every C-type, D-type and Lightweight E-type is recorded in terms of its chassis, engine, gearbox and body number, its original color, date of dispatch, distributor and first and all known subsequent owners up to the present day. The story of each individual car is told in detail, including competition appearances and their adventures over the years. The XK-SS derivative is of course included in the D-type section, while other well-known (but not lightweight) E-types are recorded too.
The book includes many tables of statistics and these are highly informative. All the cars that appeared at Le Mans are listed separately, along with those which ran in other important events such as the Mille Miglia, Targa Florio, Sebring etc. The Jaguar works cars are also identified, as are the cars run by Ecurie Ecosse.
The photographic content is strong, with many new photographs included, a good proportion researched by Terry Larson from a variety of sources in the US; these include a number of period color shots probably never reproduced before.
Bound to become the standard reference work on these cars, this book is highly recommended for all truly serious enthusiasts and historians of the sports-racing and competition Jaguars from the 1950s and 60s.
C-type Register
The Mille Miglia was never really Jaguar territory but Stirling Moss and Norman Dewis, seen here at Brescia in XKC 003, were running as
high as second in the 1952 event before retiring with damaged steering. Photo: Paul Skilleter collection.
Individual C-type Car Histories
The first of the original three works cars, which were ready for the 1951 Le Mans, and were driven out to France on trade
plates under their own power, as became Jaguar’s custom, in convoy with the Bedford works van. 23-24 June 1951, Le Mans, Leslie Johnson and Clemente Biondetti, trade plate 032 RW, race number 23, a cracked oil pipe led to loss of oil pressure after six hours, retired. 15 September, Tourist Trophy, Dundrod, Johnson and Tony Rolt, race number 9, fourth, Rolt set lap record. 29 September, Goodwood, BARC meeting, Stirling Moss, race number 60, first in Event 3, first in Event.
D-type Register
XKC 401 shortly after completion early in 1954, along with some of the key people involved. From left to right: Arthur Ramsey, Keith Cambage, Gordon Gardner, Bob Knight, and Malcolm Sayer; in the centre Bill Heynes (with hand in pocket); then Phil Weaver, Joe Sutton, Bob Penney, and Len Hayden. Sitting in the car is Norman Dewis. Photo courtesy Norman Dewis.
Individual D-type Car Histories
This was effectively the prototype D-type; it was the first of the batch of “alloy chassis” cars which all had chassis numbers beginning with the number 4, mostly prefixed XKC as the designation “D” had not yet been decided on. The front section of the frame and the rear suspension frame of the structure were argon-arc welded directly into the central alloy monocoque section.
This car has some unique features not found in any subsequent cars, such as the top wishbones constructed in the same way as on the XK series cars, with a top ball joint sandwiched between a front and rear top arm. It also has a unique radiator (which was replaced to the original pattern in the 1980s). The car was extensively tested but never raced, and was always retained by Jaguar.
XKSS Register
The pending obsolescence of the D-type plus a high price-tag (£3878 including taxes in the UK in 1955) resulted in some 25 production D-types remaining unsold at the end of 1956. To make use of them, in January 1957 Jaguar announced a new sports car, describing it as “a type of vehicle equally suitable for normal road use and sports car racing.
Individual XKSS Car Histories
XKSS 707 (XKD 564) was counted as part of the stock of unsold D-types on 21 November 1956 (Robson Jaguar D-type p.130). It is believed to have been sold to Lou Brero, but he was killed in Hawaii before he could take delivery. The car was instead sold to Sammy Weiss, but Weiss was killed a few months later at Laguna Seca. In 1958, the car was sold by Oxford Motors (Weiss’s company in Sacramento) to Sidney Colberg of San Francisco, who owned it until 1972.
Competition E-type Register
The first essential fact to establish is that officially the“Lightweight E-type” doesn’t exist. No such model was catalogued by Jaguar, it never appeared in any price lists, and it never featured in any advertisements.
Individual E-type Car Histories
The car was originally a steel-bodied roadster and became the demonstrator for Coombs of Guildford. According to the original log book, the registration mark BUY 1 was assigned to the car from Coombs’s Mark II demonstrator on 27 April at a cost of £5.
On 3 November, BUY 1 was reassigned again to another car, and 4 WPD was assigned to 850006.
Soft-bound large format (8 3/4 x 11 5/8 approx.), and 240 pages; 91 Black & White photos and 37 Color photos.
First edition: September 2014
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