Classic Wheels

Symphony in C

THIRTY YEARS AGO MICHAEL STAHL SPENT A PRECIOUS FEW HOURS OF ROAD TIME AT THE WHEEL OF A JAGUAR C-TYPE, THEN WORTH $350,000. SUCH HIGH VALUE, WROTE STAHL, “TENDS TO CONCENTRATE THE MIND WONDERFULLY.”

Would Michael dare take the wheel in 2017, knowing that today that superbly original C-type had escalated in value to around, well, who knows? Two years ago RM Sotheby’s sold the C-type that finished fourth at Le Mans in 1953 for A$17.6m; in 2016 Bonhams auctioned another for A$10.6m. Jaguar C- and D-types with a genuine racing history are almost as prized as racing Ferraris from the same era.

“In truth,” Stahl wrote in Wheels, June 1987, “The C-type isn’t really all that difficult to drive. It’s not even difficult to drive reasonably well.” Yet, this car was conceived to win races and Stahl admits, “to drive a C-type fully as intended, let alone to do this for hours on end at Le Mans, required the other-worldly skills of a handful of men.”

In 1951 the C-type became the first (of seven) Jaguars to win the Le Mans 24-Hour, the race it was designed to win. For the C-type, Jaguar’s classic 3.4-litre DOHC in-line six from the production XK120 sports car was tuned to develop a heady 150kw at 5800rpm on its twin SU carburettors, though this car was converted to the later three Weber carbies that gave another 13kw. Spaceframe construction, an all-aluminium body and absolutely minimal fitments lowered the weight to just 1016kg, with

a claimed perfect weight distribution of 50/50. Stahly struggled with the infamous Moss gearbox (while pointing out that it was nothing to do with Sir Stirling Moss), and its heavy, long throws, weak synchromesh and extremely narrow gate. Fortunately, the engine’s flexibility and torque meant gear changing could be minimised.

In what became a Jaguar tradition, the three works C-types were driven from the Coventry factory to Le Mans by the engineers. After four hours they led one, two, three, but shortly after midnight just one car remained: Peter Whitehead and Peter Walker went on to win easily. Only 54 were built before the C-type was replaced by the even more successful D-type.

Dr William Marshall, then the C-type’s owner, raced the car in historic events in Australia and confessed to Stahl that he expected, “the C-type to be a real heap – more like an XK120. But it’s much tighter, and obviously a hell of a lot faster. It just doesn’t bear comparison with cars like T-series MGS. In fact, it handles better than the 275GTB, although the Ferrari came 15 years later.”

I don’t suppose Porsche would allow Wheels to drive last year’s Le Mans winner on the road. Still, we should ask.

“TO DRIVE A C- TYPE FULLY AS INTENDED, LET ALONE TO DO THIS FOR HOURS ON END AT LE MANS, REQUIRED THE OTHER- WORLDLY SKILLS OF A HANDFUL OF MEN” – MICHAEL STAHL, 1987