1959 Jaguar XKSS 3.4 OTS

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Description

Our 1959 Jaguar XKSS build represents the successful culmination of an ambitious in-house project by our team. This British Racing Green and Silver example served as our “demo” build and stands as an exceptional representation of the XKSS’s performance and elegance. Powered by a Jaguar XK-140 MC 3.4-liter red-head twin-cam engine and equipped with Weber carbs, a Tremec T-5 five-speed transmission, Wilwood brakes, and Dunlop peg-style alloy racing wheels, this XKSS delivers a pure, period-correct driving experience. The interior features authentic Jaguar materials with handcrafted Tan upholstery, console, and panels that are faithful to the originals and finished to Concours standards.

After completing a full series of road tests and fine-tuning, this XKSS stands as a fully sorted and proven example of our team’s craftsmanship, proudly reflecting the same attention to authenticity and precision found in our restoration work. It represents the pinnacle of our in-house builds and is available for private viewing and purchase inquiries by appointment.

Videos

History

Hollywood acting legend Steve McQueen posing in his XKSS in the late 1960s:



The Jaguar XKSS is a road-going version of the racing car, initially built in 1957. Only 16 were built and sold at the time. Nine were destroyed in a factory fire in 1957. 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. Following 's withdrawal from competition at the end of the 1956 season, a number of completed and partly completed remained unsold at the Browns Lane factory. In an attempt to recoup some of the investment made in building these unused , and to exploit the lucrative American market for high-performance European sports cars, decided to convert a number to road-going specification. Only minor changes were made to the basic D-type structure: the addition of a passenger side door; the removal of the large fin behind the driver; and the removal of the divider between passenger and driver seats. In addition, changes were made for cosmetic, comfort and legal reasons: a full-width, chrome-surrounded windscreen was added; sidescreens were added to both driver and passenger doors; a rudimentary, folding, fabric roof was added for weather protection; chromed bumpers were added front and rear (a styling cue later used on the ); rear light clusters were mounted higher on the wings; and thin chrome strips were added 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 plant. On the evening of 12 February a fire broke out, destroying the remaining nine in mid-production. All of the destroyed vehicles had been destined for North America. Most of the previously built 16 XKSSs were also sold in the US.