Jaguar announced the revival of their classic XKSS, as they intend to build nine cars by hand in order to replace those lost in the 1957 Browns Lane factory fire.
The Jaguar XKSS was the road-going version of the Le Mans-winning D-Type, with the company back then making just 16 cars before disaster struck.
Jaguar’s Classic department will use the expertise gained by constructing the remaining E-Type Lightweights in to order to build by hand the remaining nine XKSSs at the company’s new ‘Experimental Workshop’ in Warwick, UK.
These nine continuation models are going to be built in the same exact specifications of the cars produced in 1957, with Jaguar certifying every aspect of the build. As expected, the price of these extremely exclusive classics will be in excess of £1 million each.
“Jaguar Classic’s highly skilled team of engineers and technicians will draw on decades of knowledge to ensure each of the nine cars is completely authentic and crafted to the highest quality,” said Tim Hannig, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic.
“Our continuation XKSS reaffirms our commitment to nurture the passion and enthusiasm for Jaguar’s illustrious past by offering exceptional cars, services, parts and experiences.”
After winning the Le Mans race for three years in a row (1955-1956-1957), Jaguar decided to convert the remaining 25 D-Types into road-going models, creating for some people the world’s first supercar.
The conversion from D-Type to XKSS included the addition of a higher windscreen, an extra door in the passenger side, taking away the divider between the driver and passenger and the removal of the iconic fin behind the driver’s seat.
Jaguar says that the first deliveries of the new continuation XKSS will commence in early 2017.