Comeback: Jaguar C-Type comes as a Continuation Car!

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Jaguar's first overall victory with the C-type at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jaguar Classic is launching a series of C-type continuation cars limited to eight units. With the new creations, which are completely handcrafted at Jaguar Classic Works in Coventry, fans of historic motorsport have the unique opportunity to purchase a true-to-original replica of the legendary long-distance racer. In the form of the winning car from 1953, which, as the ultimate evolution of the C-type, was already equipped with disc brakes and the in-line six-cylinder engine, which has increased to 220 hp.

Jaguar C-Type as a continuation car

The Jaguar C-type was the favorite for overall victories between 1951 and 1953, especially at Le Mans. Its flowing lines, sculpted by Malcolm Sayer, the Jaguar aerodynamicist and designer in the wind tunnel, ennoble him to an icon of endurance racing. Even on his debut, back then with drum brakes, he won the legendary 1951 Hours of Le Mans in 24 with Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead. It was the first of seven Jaguar victories in the French classic to date. In the 1952 season, Jaguar broke new technological ground with the first use of the revolutionary new C-type disc brake developed together with Dunlop. After a first test at the Mille Miglia with the pairing Stirling Moss / Norman Dewis, Jaguar wrote a chapter in engine history at the Reims Grand Prix - again with Moss at the wheel: the first victory of a racing car with disc brakes.

With a further developed braking system now also designed for a 24-hour distance, the final breakthrough of the new technology was achieved in 1953 with the second Le Mans victory. Thanks to the absolutely stable deceleration and the excellent aerodynamics of the elegant C-type, Jaguar drivers Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton covered the 24 hours for the first time with an average of over 100 miles per hour or 160 km / h. Together with good results from private teams such as the Ecurie Ecosse, Jaguar won the runner-up title this year in the first ever World Sports Car Championship.

"The C-type, piloted by some of the best pilots of its time, laid the foundation for Jaguar's great success in endurance racing and is synonymous with groundbreaking design and technical innovation. 70 years after the first Le Mans victory, Jaguar Classic is proud to use the latest manufacturing technologies - flanked by traditional craftsmanship and great expertise - to make this legendary racing car accessible to a new generation of enthusiasts.“DAN PINK - HEAD, JAGUAR CLASSIC

Of the 53 Jaguar C-types built in the 43s, 51 were sold to private customers - analogous to the 200-series factory cars with drum brakes, two SU carburettors and an output of 53 hp. The eight new C-type Continuation models, on the other hand, reflect the technology of the 40-series winning car - with disc brakes, three Weber 3DCO3,4 carburettors and a 220 liter in-line six-cylinder with an output increased to XNUMX hp.

Building on the experiences with the previous Jaguar Classic Continuation programs for the E-type Lightweight, the XKSS and the D-type, the Jaguar Classic engineers have again immersed themselves deeply in the factory archives. In addition, they scanned data from an original C-type and supplemented them with other state-of-the-art CAD programs - to create a C-type that was as authentic as possible.

Access to original technical drawings and other documents from the original C-type development team - in addition to Malcolm Sayer, racing director Lofty England, engineers William Heynes and Bob Knight, and legendary chief test driver Norman Dewis - ensure that the specifications of the 53 model of the C -types are meticulously adhered to.

As a novelty, Jaguar also uses the CAD data for the possibility of virtually visualizing and personalizing a C-type Continuation Car for the first time using a specially developed online configurator. The new customer tool enables a comparison between twelve authentic exterior colors and eight different interior trims. But also the affixing of start numbers or steering wheel and bonnet emblems can be displayed here.

Additional extras for a C-type Continuation model include an FIA-certified restraint system and rollover protection. Because these authentic new C-types shouldn't collect dust in the museum or garage, but should be moved at historical racing events or on closed circuits and streets.

Photos: Jaguar

Of course, that wasn't the end of it. Our tuning magazine has tens of thousands more tuning reports in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. Or are you particularly interested in the so-called continuation cars? Then the following excerpt is sure to be just the thing.

Jaguar C Type Continuation Car Tuning

the Jaguar D-Type is also a well-known classic

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