Skip advert
Advertisement

Jaguar XKSS returns in Los Angeles with continuation model

Just nine examples of the "new original" 1957 sports car will be built

Jaguar has announced detailed plans to build a limited run of "new original" XKSS sports cars, at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show.

Just nine examples of the XKSS continuation model will be produced, each hand-built by Jaguar to the exact specification of the original 1957 cars.

As with Jaguar's previous continuation cars - a run of six lightweight E-types produced in 2014 - the company is keen to stress that the vehicles are not replicas, but genuine models simply built a great deal later than the original cars.

Advertisement - Article continues below

With the XKSS there's added incentive to produce the cars to such exacting specification, as the nine "new original" cars are to be built to replace nine cars lost in a fire at Brown's Lane back in 1957.

The continuation cars will feature original, period chassis numbers from the XKSS production run, and every other component will be as-per the original vehicles too. The bodywork for instance is formed from magnesium alloy, built over a styling buck which itself is based on that used for the first 16 XKSS built in the 1950s.

Modern technology has been used to get a perfectly accurate shape - the Jaguar team digitally scanned the bodies, chassis and components of several 1957 cars. But the build process will be entirely traditional, from hand-wheeling the panels to bronze welding the chassis tubes.

Likewise, entirely new 3.4-litre inline-six engine blocks have been cast in iron, with cast cylinder heads and a trio of Weber DC03 carburettors as per the first cars. Output is quoted at 262bhp. The wheels are magnesium, the tyres Dunlop, and the four-wheel disc brakes also by Dunlop.

Only minor specification changes have been made, and only where absolutely necessary: the fuel cell uses modern materials, for example, both for safety and to handle the different composition of modern fuels.

And the price? More than £1 million apiece. This seems - and is - expensive, though the 10,000 hours of labour going into each car somewhat justifies the sum, as does the fact that 1957 cars will comfortably sell for ten times that figure and more.

Head to our Los Angeles auto show hub page for more on the show's stars.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

New Ferrari 812 keeps its V12 – launches later this summer
Ferrari 812 successor
News

New Ferrari 812 keeps its V12 – launches later this summer

Ferrari’s replacement for the 812 Superfast is gearing up for its reveal this summer, and it will retain the iconic F140 V12 expected to produce in ex…
22 Mar 2024
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 004S: development ramps up for three-seat supercar
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 004S
News

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 004S: development ramps up for three-seat supercar

As the SCG 004 racer gears up for another Nürburgring 24 Hours, development is well underway for its road-legal relative
18 Mar 2024
Ford GT (2004 - 2006): review, history and specs of an icon
Ford GT evo 25
Features

Ford GT (2004 - 2006): review, history and specs of an icon

Few supercars have allowed such easy access to their performance as the original Ford GT, making it one of our top 25 cars of the last 25 years
18 Mar 2024
Ferrari 296 GTB 2024 review – fewer cylinders, greater thrills
Ferrari 296 GTB
Reviews

Ferrari 296 GTB 2024 review – fewer cylinders, greater thrills

Ferrari's first V6-powered road car redefines the £250,000 supercar with sensational speed and agility
15 Mar 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024