SPRING 2024 NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 74
SPRING 2024 NEWSLETTER • VOLUME 74
A CLASSIC SHOWCASE RESTORATION
Spring is finally here, and we are happy to give you a
timely update on one of our current exciting Jaguar builds - the Jaguar XKSS!
We started creating this internal "demo" of these special cars
in the Summer of 2023, and have nearly completed restorative work on this first
XKSS example. Our team has been in the very final stages of restoration -
please enjoy the gallery of photos covering its restoration sequence, as well
as its first journey out of the shop for a sampling of photos! The XKSS was
recently at a Dyno shop here in the San Diego region for setup, and has since returned home, and our team is
continuing to tweak, setup, and prepare the XKSS for the upcoming Spring/Summer
Concours season; this will include stops at the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance,
a recent invitation from the Quail Concours , as well as participation at
various JCNA events throughout the year!
Building Our First XKSS Demo...
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. 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 Jaguar's withdrawal from competition at the end of the 1956 season, a number of completed and partly completed D-types remained unsold at the Browns Lane factory. In an attempt to recoup some of the investment made in building these unused chassis, and to exploit the lucrative American market for high-performance European sports cars, Sir William Lyons 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 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 Browns Lane 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.
the XKSS' first adventure out of assembly...
