MYTH BUSTER
Debunking the most common old wives’ tales
1 IT’S AN XK120 UNDERNEATH
That the C-type was also known as the XK120-C denotes its close relationship to the road-going XK120. But later cars diverged greatly from these underpinnings, despite Motor Sport magazine assertion’s after the 1953 Le Mans that the ones there were ‘more closely related to Jaguar’s other production cars than the sports/racing cars they beat so convincingly.’ Aside from the obviously different aluminium body and tubular frame, other differences include new rear suspension, rackand-pinion steering, triple Weber carburettors, lighter electrical equipment, a rubber bag fuel tank and disc brakes.
2 IT PIONEERED DISC BRAKES
The C-type is often believed to be the first British car with disc brakes. Actually, Lanchester came up with such a creation in 1902. Daimler also employed them on armoured cars during World War Two. BRM beat Jaguar into racing with discs with a 1951 Formula One Type 15, and Austin-Healey was selling the disc-braked 100S to the public the same year that Jaguar finally equipped its racing C-types with the system.
3 THE 1953 LE MANSWINNER WAS DRUNK
Duncan Hamilton won the 1953 Le Mans 24 Hours partnering Tony Rolt in a C-type, and legend has it that both were drunk, having retired to a local bar because they thought that they’d been disqualified. Duncan had apparently stayed up the whole night too. Team manager Lofty England remarked: ‘Of course I would never have let them race under the influence. I had enough trouble when they were sober!’ Tony Rolt also denied it, as did other witnesses. It does seem that the alcoholic antics were embellished to add even more entertainment value to the Jaguar win.
Richard Gunn