Jaguar Classic will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the famed C-type with a limited run of new and hand-built copies of the 1950s sports and racing car.
“Driven by some of the most-admired racing drivers in history, the C-type laid the foundations for Jaguar’s success in endurance racing and is synonymous with design and engineering innovation,” Dan Pink, Jaguar Classic director, is quoted in the company’s announcement.
“Seventy years on, Jaguar Classic is proud to be able to utilize the latest innovations in manufacturing technology – alongside traditional skills and unrivaled expertise – to reintroduce this legendary car for a new generation of enthusiasts to enjoy.”
The cars will be produced at the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works facility in Coventry, England, the company said. The continuation cars will be “full authentic, disc-brake-equipped C-type” vehicles. However, a new “online configurator brings 3D CAD engineering data to life, allowing prospective customers and enthusiasts to specify their perfect C-type virtually,” it added.
Even those not ordering cars can use the configuration to build and share their favorite versions on the JaguarUSA Instagram, Facebook or Twitter websites.
“Eight C-type Continuation cars will be built ahead of a racing-inspired celebration event for their owners in 2022,” Jaguar Classic said. “Each example will reflect the 1953 Le Mans-winning works team car specification, including a 220hp 3.4-liter inline-six engine with triple Weber 40DCO3 carburetors and disc brakes.
“Additional options available to C-type Continuation customers
include an FIA-approved Harness Retention System. Not just for show, these C-types will be eligible for historic racing, track and closed-road use.”
Jaguar Classic added that the C-types will be built “on the experienced gained with previous Jaguar Classic Continuation programs for
Lightweight E-type, XKSS and D-type, (for which) Jaguar Classic engineers consulted the Jaguar archives and cross-referenced scan data taken from an original C-type in conjunction with the latest computer-aided design (CAD) technology, to create the most authentic new C-type possible.
“Exclusive access to original engineering drawings and company records created by the original C-type development team – including Malcolm Sayer, competitions manager Lofty England, and engineers William Heynes, Bob Knight and Norman Dewis – ensure the 1953
specifications are accurately maintained.”
Jaguar launched the C-type in 1951, with Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead driving to victory at Le Mans.
In 1952, Jaguar and Dunlop introduced disc brakes to motorsports with Stirling Moss winning the Reims Grand Prix in France with such a setup.
Jaguar won again at Le Mans in 1953, with Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton in the winning car and with Walker and Moss finishing second and Whitehead and Ian Stewart fourth in other C-types.
From 1951-53, Jaguar produced 53 C-type sports cars, with 43 of them — all equipped with drum brakes and engines tuned to 200 horsepower as in 1951 — sold to private owners.
Pricing of the continuation cars was not included in the news release. For more information on the C-type continuation cars, visit the Jaguar Classic website.
