This Isn’t Your Grandfather’s D-Type, or Is It? Jaguar Building 25 More Examples [News]

Jaguar Building Classic D-Type
[Photo: Jaguar]

In a classic blast from the past move, Jaguar announced they’re completing the original Jaguar D-Type run with 25 more examples.

Stop the presses! Jaguar is restarting production of its iconic D-Type race car in Coventry, Warwickshire, 62 years after the last D-Type rolled off the assembly line. Lucky customers will get the chance to order one of these painstakingly hand-built models, courtesy of the Jaguar Land Rover Classic workshop.

This is timely news, actually, if you’re a fan of The Grand Tour. They drove one of nine examples of the classic Jaguar XKSS built in the past year – completing the run of 25 units after nine of the originals were destroyed in a 1957 fire at the Browns Lane factory.

Now, Jaguar’s completing the original 100-unit run of its Le Mans-famous D-Type race car, as well. Jaguar Classic experts will rebuild every single car exactly to specifications laid down in the 1950s. Clients can choose from 1955-specification Shortnose or 1956-specification Longnose bodywork for their car. If you’ve ever seen a D-Type before, odds are is was the Longnose version, instantly identifiable by the tail fin behind the driver’s head.

[Photos: Jaguar]

You can’t put a price on pedigree

“So, what’s the big deal?”, you may ask. Well, this isn’t just a manufacturer’s reinterpretation of a classic car. This is the classic car. From that perspective, its certainly interesting to see “modern” production of classic cars, with every fiber of their original design preserved, right down to the last bolt or rivet.

When it comes down to specifics, Jaguar will build every D-Type with the six-cylinder XK engine used in the 50s. They’ll also don the same classic tires, and carry that same, iconic profile.

Jaguar Classic revealed the “new” D-Type at Salon Retromobile in Paris today to excited onlookers the world over and potential customers. Mind you, this sort of legendary-ness won’t come cheap. Classic “Jaaaags” have auctioned well into the millions in recent history. And even from the factory, we don’t expect this to cost less than a million or two. One also wonders what 25 more examples of the D-Type will do to the values of the “original”, classic models.

This isn’t your grandfather’s Jag. And yet, in a manner of speaking, it is! What do you think of this old/new D-Type? Let us know in the comments below! Check back to TFLcar.com for more classic Jaguar news, views, and real-world reviews. Admittedly, probably not featuring the D-Type (sadly). Personally, I feel the world is a brighter place today for having more D-Types!

 

Jaguar Once Again Building Classic D-Type
[Photo: Jaguar]