1959 C-Type Tool Room Copy

• An extremely well-constructed, tool-room copy of the Jaguar C-Type, Le Mans-winning sports racing car from the early 1950s
• All-alloy body built some 30 years ago utilising parts purchased from Peter Jaye, a C-Type specialist renowned for detailed accuracy
• Understood to have previously secured entries into some Blue Riband events including the Mile Miglia Retrospective
• Delightfully patinated and maintained regardless of cost with a recent professional engine rebuild and consequently on-the-button
• Road registered as an ‘Historic’ Jaguar with current V5c, a superb road-going replica that could potentially be converted for competition use

Widely regarded as the most desirable Jaguar of all time, the legendary C-Type was launched in 1951 with one aim in mind – to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Success was immediate when a factory C-Type driven by Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead came home some 7 miles in front of the second placed Talbot-Lago entered by a French team. In 1953 the feat was repeated in spades with C-Types coming home in 1st, 2nd and 4th – being helped enormously by the fact that they now had disc brakes on all four wheels. That it was also arrestingly beautiful was just a bonus, a classic example of form following function.

The C-Type was powered by a tuned version of the 3.4-litre engine from the contemporary XK120, initially producing some 205bhp in SU carburettor form, but rising to 230bhp with Weber carbs fitted. The lightweight tubular chassis was designed by Bob Knight and the aerodynamic body by Malcolm Sayer. Only 52 C-Types were made in total before it was replaced by the D-Type in 1954 and, if you could ever find one for sale, it would cost you several million pounds.

Offered here is a beautiful and well-constructed, all-alloy bodied, C-Type tool-room copy. Not to be confused with other ‘replicas’ often seen at events and on the market, this example is extremely faithful to the original, convincing enough, we understand, to have secured entries into some of the worlds most prestigious events such as the Mille Miglia Retrospective.

UK-registered as a 1959 ‘Historic’ vehicle and believed to have been built around 30 years ago utilising components including the chassis, steering and suspension sourced from Peter Jaye, an engineer renowned for building similar exacting and detailed C-Type replicas. Today, this faithful tribute wears a glorious patination and is on-the-button and performing well partly due to a recent professional engine rebuild with less than 1,000 miles use since, so nicely run-in.

On offer from a private collector who has owned both genuine C and D-Type Jaguars, this is a great opportunity to own a tool-room copy C-type, professionally engineered, well maintained, on-the-button and ready to be enjoyed as a road car or with a little development possibly used in competition.