Jaguar plans 25 ‘new’ D-Type roadsters
Nostalgia is worth money and Jaguar knows it. We previously toured the expansive Jaguar Classic dream factory, and the latest four-wheeled fantasy to roll out of it is the D -Type.
The D-Type was a competition-only though road-legal race car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three years in a row, starting in 1955. The company built 75 in period and a further nine were planned but destroyed in a monstrous factory fire.
Jaguar had originally planned on building 100 D-Types, so Jaguar is ostensibly “finishing ” the original run of 100 cars. Whatever — it doesn’t need a reason to remake 1950s dream cars.
Unlike the Aston Martin DB4 GT remakes, the Jaguars are 100 per cent accurate replicas with zero modifications for added drivability. The powerhouse is a 3.4-litre version of Jaguar’s fabled XK inline six, drinking the good stuff through three Weber side-draft carburetors. With 250 horsepower and a curb weight less than a Ford Fiesta, it’s good for a zero-to-100 km/ h run of around five seconds.
Pricing hasn’t been announced, but if it’s in line with what the XKSS remakes sold for, you can wager that it’ll be north of a million dollars — and you can’t drive it on the street.
Good luck registering this one as a homebuilt kit car or swiping the VIN tag from a real, $22 million D -Type. The D -Type doesn’t come close to meeting modern crash standards, emission requirements and drive-by noise limits, so your million bucks buys you a track-only car.