Elite Traveler Summer 2023

Jaguar’s C-Type, Bentley’s Speed Six and Superformance’s (then-Ford's) GT40 — all iconic, period speci fi c race cars that won Le Mans — are being rebuilt, reborn and reintroduced. Land Rover’s Series I, meanwhile, combines chassis restoration with a ground-up rebuild

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Integrated into the rear bulkhead, a harness retention system is mandatory, as is water-based, emission-friendly paint

JAGUAR C-TYPE CONTINUATION

“The history of the C-Type is fascinating,” Dave Foster, head of engineering at Jaguar Land Rover Classic, told Elite Traveler . Crafted as a racing car in 1951, the vehicle featured a tubular frame covered in thin, aerodynamic aluminum sections. Conceived, designed and built in less than six months, the vehicle didn’t fi nd its footing until 1953, when disc brakes from aviation were inserted into the C-Type. A winning addition, the Jaguar fi nished fi rst, second, fourth and ninth at the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans race. That impressed the Queen; Buckingham Palace telegrammed the team to tell them she was “very pleased.” So too were the brand’s engineers. After spending two years digitizing over 2,000 items, each C-Type is now hand-built using traditional construction methods. “We still hand-weld and -rivet parts, but use modern IT, like 3D CAD engineering and data plotting to help,” said Foster. Each vehicle takes 3,000 hours to assemble, including nine months just for the engine. Underneath the aluminum body (increased from 1.2 mm to 1.5 mm in order to prevent kinking in the panels if leaned on), a 3.4-liter, straight-six engine with refurbished triple Weber 40DCO3 carburetors produces 220 hp. “We made some conscious choices; the steering doesn’t have modern tolerances, for example, it’s the same as in period,” Foster explained. We also found the last roll of Rexine, a fi nishused on the dashboard and side panels 70 years ago. In addition, we used Hardura trim for the cockpit but retrimmed it to a new level that wasn’t found on the original C-type.” Interestingly, all C-type continuations are FIA-approved with eligibility in participating historic race championships, meaning customers can race their newly constructed C-Type alongside those made seven decades ago. Integrated into the rear bulkhead, a harness retention system is mandatory, as is water-based, emission-friendly paint. “Just because we are classic doesn’t mean we aren’t sustainability minded,” Foster added. Alongside the announcement of the launch, Jaguar created the fi rst classic car online con fi gurator, which received over 179,000 visits in 48 hours and delivered 245 enquiries. “Classic cars are not just about access for a niche set of people, whether that’s collectors or people who happen to be around when the car was popular,” said Foster. Jaguar C-Type Continuation from $1.8m, jaguarusa.com

Photos Sam Chick Photography