1955 Jaguar D-Type

Jul 17

Written By Katelyn McSherry

Just 42 Jaguar D-Types were produced in the early 1950’s, and only 18 reached the United States. This D-Type, production number 15 out of 42, is perhaps the most original D-Type in existence, showing less than 20,000 original miles. This D-Type was delivered new to Colonel Ronnie Hoare, an instrumental figure in British motoring. Hoare became the official Ferrari distributor in the United Kingdom after Enzo Ferrari's original choice, works driver Mike Hawthorn, was killed in a 1958 highway accident in Surrey, England. .Mr. Taylor has owned this car since 2005, and maintains its original engine and all of its original body panels as well, adding to the incredible significance of this car.

This car has been shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2006, and the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2017.

The D-Type is responsible for making Jaguar competitive at the highest level of global motorsports. The car was designed by Jaguar for one sole reason: to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The engine and many mechanical components were derived from its predecessor, the C-Type, but the design was drastically different. The design was formed to maximize the cars top speed on the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, and cars prepared for the race utilized a large fin behind the driver’s headrest to maintain stability at high speeds. While this feature helped make the D-Type an iconic car, the fins were not found on most of the road versions of the car.

The D-Type dominated Le Mans in the mid-1950’s, winning outright in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Originally engineered with a cast iron 3.4 liter inline-six, regulation changes for the 1957 season allowed Jaguar to enlarge the engine to 3.8 liters which vastly improved the cars performance, which led to a D-Type finishing in five of the first six overall places.

When Jaguar announced they would begin low-volume production of the D-Type for road use, it was almost instantly regarded as the fasted factory built car in the world, and was clocked at over 170 MPH on the Mulsanne straight. The base price for the D-Type was $10,858 in 1955, about $105,000 today, while ex-race prepped D-Types often changed hands for half that price as they were viewed as obsolete race cars. Due to their race success and limited production numbers, D-Types are very sought after today, and this car is perhaps the most original example in existence.

On Loan from Jim Taylor, Gloversville, NY