1953 Jaguar C-Type returns to production

The 1953 Jaguar C-Type will live again, with the British marque announcing a small number of new hand-built vehicles to be made under its continuation program.

To celebrate the C-Type’s 70th anniversary, Jaguar will remake the iconic Le Mans racer, complete with period-correct materials and a 3.4-litre straight-six and triple Weber carburettors.

The engine – also built by hand over a period of nine months – will send 164kW (or 220bhp in the old money) to the skinny rear tyres through a four-speed manual transmission.

The C-Type was one of the most notable racing cars of its generation, being among the first to adopt aerospace design principles to its bodywork – as well as introducing innovations such as disc brakes in 1953.

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Thanks to its new braking system, the Jag became the first Le Mans car to average more than 160km/h (100mph) over the famous 24 hour endurance race.

Jaguar Classic will initially build eight C-Types to its 1953 race specification, which the company says has been painstakingly researched over two years to ensure the utmost accuracy – including the adoption of authentic materials and era-correct build methods.

While the C-Type is the fourth continuation car from Jaguar Classic – following the D-Type, XKSS, and Lightweight E-Type – it’s the first to adopt modern AutoCAD computer software to model the vehicle in detail.

“The C-type Continuation keeps Malcolm Sayers’s iconic and advanced design alive, thanks to the first application of 3D CAD drawings by Jaguar Classic – marrying design and motorsport heritage with the very latest engineering tools,” says Jaguar Classic Director Dan Pink.

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Using the XK120 as a base, designer and engineer Malcolm Sayers penned the flowing shape of the C-Type in 1950, helping the vehicle break speed records and win its debut outing at the 1951 Le Mans 24-Hour.

Despite just eight examples slated for initial production, Jaguar Classic is offering owners eight different leather interiors to choose from and 12 exterior paint options.

The Jaguar C-Type Continuation will make its public debut at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in the UK this weekend.