Jaguar to build 25 ‘new’ D-Types

ROADSTER: But no, you can’t drive this classic powerhouse automobile from the 1950s on the street

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 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 re-make 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 in-line six with 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.

— JAGUAR The new-old Jaguar D-Type is an exact replica of the vehicle put out by the automobile company in the 1950s, which means it doesn’t meat today’s safety standards.