Jaguar XKSS (1957 – 1957) Review

Although the Jaguar XKSS was a development of the D-type and conspiracy theorists claim that the car was only produced because the company wanted to shift its stock of unsold D-types. The difference between the cars was that the XKSS had been devised for the road, but the D-type was purely a limited market race car. Either way, by cutting a door in the D-type's centre section, dropping the fin, adding a full-width screen and offering a primitive hood Jaguar managed to create a road-going supercar.

The XKSS ended up being a sensation, and had a top speed of 150mph, and it had handling to match. It was a two-seater with little in the way of creature comforts, but that wasn’t what the car was about. Sadly, the model’s future was dashed when Jaguar's Coventry factory suffered a major fire, in which several of the cars were destroyed along with the production line. The XKSS setback coincided with Jaguar shifting focus onto saloon car production – although fans insist the XKSS was reborn with the launch of the E-type in 1961. Only 16 examples of the XKSS were made, making it extremely rare and like the C-type, the market is flooded with modern replicas.