Chassis Number: XKSS707
Jaguar had withdrawn from racing following the 1956 season and was left with a number of D-types remaining unsold in their factory stock. An idea was had that the cars could be converted to roadgoing specification and sold into the American market. The conversion, as it were, involved removing the large headrest fairing and tailfin and the center cockpit divider, and installing the niceties of a passenger’s door, full windshield, side screens, chromed bumperettes and a rudimentary folding top. With an initial planned production run of only 25 examples, scarcity became an even bigger factor when nine of the 25 cars were destroyed by a fire in the Browns Lane factory. Thus, effective total production of the XKSS was a mere 16 cars. A report compiled for the owner by Chris Keith-Lucas indicates that the present 25,535 miles are likely authentic, and that the car has been used relatively sparingly by its owners. It further verifies that it retains its original serial-number plate, its original chassis-number stamping, and the original gearbox with a replacement center casing as is common, as well as the original block and head and the original rear axle. Further, two of the three correct carburetors are the originals, with the front only having been replaced, the latter a change that Keith-Lucas ascribes as possibly having been done before the car left the factory. All four brake calipers remain original as well, as do the master cylinder and Plessey pump. The original steel tubular-chassis frame, major front and rear suspension components, and monocoque remain original, as does the bodywork, save the bulkhead behind the seatbacks and the bonnet. Rarity and fame have both ensured that the XKSS remains, simply, the most sought-after roadgoing Jaguar, with most of the examples now claimed by owners who have held them for decades with no intention of parting in the near future. Thus, the offering of XKSS 707 represents a scarce opportunity to acquire an ultra-original example which, as Jaguar intended, knew the West Coast well — and stands ready to introduce a new owner to the thrill of a D-type for the street.
