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Jaguar to build 25 D-type racing cars to finish off 1956 production run

It's good to pick up where you left off, even if it's been more than 60 years. In 1956, Jaguar planned to built 100 D-type racing cars, but only 75 were completed. The missing 25 cars will now be built at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works in Warwickshire, England, and they will all be built according to the original, authentic specifications. Customers can choose between 1955-style "Shortnose" cars and 1956-style "Longnose" versions; the prototype is of the latter specification. All of them will have the original six-cylinder XK engine, and they will come with a lot of Le Mans heritage, as D-types won the famous 24 hour race in 1955, 1956 and 1957. During their competition years, D-types were driven by such motorsport legends as Mike Hawthorn, Stirling Moss and John Fitch. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The newly built D-types will be the third continuation models from Jaguar's classic works. Earlier, they announced they were building nine XKSS cars to finish off a production run that was cut short by a 1957 fire, and in 2015 the division built six Lightweight E-Types. The XKSS itself was strongly related to the D-type, as originally it was based on unfinished D-types sitting around in the workshop after Jaguar temporarily retired from racing. As Jaguar Classic's Engineering Manager Kev Riches says of the continuation cars: "Each one will be absolutely correct, down to the very last detail, just as Jaguar's Competitions Department intended." No pricing details have yet been announced, but they will surely follow the D-type's official debut at the Retromobile classic car show in Paris this week. Related Video:

Dick Van Dyke escapes his flaming Jaguar on the 101

Actor Dick Van Dyke was caught in a dangerous situation on a Los Angeles highway (who are we kidding, every situation on an LA highway is dangerous), when his Jaguar XJ spontaneously caught fire. The 87-year-old actor/comedian pulled to the side and attempted to call emergency services when another motorist pulled him from the car. There seems to be some confusion as to whether Van Dyke was passed out or merely calling emergency services.
According to the photos and video from NBC and The Today Show, the car was thoroughly cooked in the blaze and is now a total loss. After the incident, Van Dyke's wife, Arlene, posted that the actor was "fine," sharing a Vine video of the star, the car, and a few CHP troopers that were on hand. Later in the day, Van Dyke tweeted a photo of his toasted sedan, saying, "Used Jag for sale REAL CHEAP!!"
You can view the Today show segment on the incident as well as Arlene Van Dyke's Vine video, below.

E.C.D. Automotive Design gets into the Jaguar restomod game

Florida-based E.C.D. Automotive Design — formerly East Coast Defender — made its bones turning the barely disguised Midlands tractors emerging from Land Rover's Solihull plant into finely detailed Chelsea tractors that cost almost as much as a genuine John Deere (which means a lot, for those unaware of the frightening costs of farm equipment). With its territory well marked and established, ECD decided to expand its offerings to "something that would sit nicely next to one of our existing Land Rover builds and be on a par, but something different, something sporty and quintessentially British." The search began and ended with the Jaguar E-Type. Not only do we know the formula for this, but Jaguar Classic Works just advertised its own adroitness with such builds in showing off the 1968 Series 1 E-Type Roadster that took part in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant. ECD offers a few options Jaguar Classic Works doesn't, though, starting with the same kinds of engine conversions performed on the Land Rovers. The outfitter will be happy to rebuild or source an age appropriate inline-six or V12 and a five-speed manual transmission, warning that the mill "will require higher ongoing maintenance" and "come with leaks and all." Less grubby options are either a GM LT1 6.2-liter V8 with 450 horsepower, shifting through an eight-speed automatic, or an electric conversion using a 450-horsepower Tesla powertrain that provides a range of 200 miles in the city and 140 miles on the highway. All variants get performance suspension and brakes; the ICE versions get a sports exhaust, too. The standard menu of paint and interior options includes 11 historic Jaguar paint colors from the 1960s through the 1980s, and 10 modern colors from the 2023 lineup. Inside, 12 solid hues of Nappa leather can be upgraded with two-tone, hand-tipped, spinneybeck, woven, or distressed treatments to go with the European weave carpeting. Prices start at $299,995, each build taking about 14 months to deliver.  Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.