The “they don’t build them like they used to” phrase in redundant in Jaguar’s case, as the British car marque revealed a brand-new old supercar at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
We’re talking about the gorgeous XKSS continuation model – a raw, old-school machine, made to highlight Jag’s heritage in the 21st century. Originally, the XKSS was the street-legal reincarnation of the legendary, Le Mans-winning D-Type, of which only 25 were built.
Sadly, nine of them perished in a fire at the factory in 1957, while those that survived became some of the most expensive, coveted, and valuable cars ever made. Needless to say, buying an original XKSS will considerably lower your net worth – Steve McQueen’s car is estimated at $30 million – but now, thanks to Jaguar, you can buy a new one for far less.
That’s because the British car maker is rebuilding the nine units destroyed, using the same painstakingly complex methods of old – including hand wheeling.
Since the original styling bucks were lost, the team responsible for the Lightweight E-types created bespoke units from scratch to help them put the car together. This was possible by scanning several 1957 XKSS models.
Impressed? Well, if you want one, it will cost you around $1.5 million.