1955 Jaguar D Type

1955 Jaguar D-Type
Sold For $3,675,000 Including Commission After The Auction
RM Auction, Amelia Island, Florida 2015
Chassis No.XKD 530
Engine No.E 2044-9
Body No.H 2030
Extensively documented; multiple in-period 1st place finishes
Comprehensive restoration in 2003 by noted D-Type expert
Subject of a five-part feature series in Jaguar World Monthly
Vintage racing participation, including at the Mille Miglia and Goodwood Revival
Accompanied by a FIVA Passport, FIA papers, and a JDHT Certificate
Est. 300 bhp, 3,781 cc DOHC inline six-cylinder engine with three Weber 45DCO3 carburetors, four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension, live rear axle trailing links and transverse torsion bar, and four-wheel disc brakes. Wheelbase: 90.5 in.
When the Jaguar D-Type debuted at the 1954 24 Hours of Le Mans, it finished a narrow 2nd to a 4.9-liter Ferrari V-12. A year later, a D-Type with a long-nosed factory body and a revised motor won the race outright. Although Jaguar retired from racing after the 1956 season, the D-Type continued to flourish in private hands, winning Le Mans in 1956 and 1957 for the Ecurie Ecosse. Although not necessarily well-suited to every type of course, the D-Type proved to be extremely effective on properly surfaced endurance circuits, and it remains one of the most important Le Mans race cars ever built, holding a special place in Coventry lore.
Chassis XKD 530 offers a tale that is surely as intricate and fascinating as any surviving D-Type. This car, one of the fifty-four examples produced for privateer customers, was dispatched from the factory on February 13, 1956, and it was finished in British Racing Green, as confirmed by its Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust Certificate. The car was retailed through Finnish Jaguar dealer S.M.K. and delivered in April 1956 to Curt Lincoln, of Helsinki, a tennis player on Finland’s Davis Cup team who was known to the racing world for his exploits in F3 midget cars, and a Jaguar C-Type.
As factory documentation reportedly demonstrates, Mr. Lincoln sought to avoid excessive duty on the import; therefore, he instructed Coventry to make the car appear used, so that it would not be subjected to new vehicle tariffs. To this end, the factory brushed the pedals to make them appear worn, replaced the steering wheel with a used one, and adjusted the odometer to misleadingly reflect accrued mileage, among other measures.
Mr. Lincoln primarily campaigned the D-Type at the Elaintarhanajo, Finland’s best-known race of the period, which was run annually between 1932 and 1963 on a two-kilometer track at the heart of Helsinki. With the final drive ratio increased to 3.54:1, XKD 530 was driven by Mr. Lincoln under the banner of his Scuderia Askolin (named for partial owner and timber magnate Carl-Johan Askolin) to a 1st in class finish on May 10, 1956. Later that season, Lincoln again took 1st in class while racing side by side with his C-Type, which he had lent to Vaino Miettinen for the contest.
Other than the 1957 Elaintarhanajo, XKD 530 was used primarily for ice racing following the 1956 season, and team Askolin fitted the tires with 1¾-inch spikes for this purpose. Mr. Lincoln drove the car to 1st place finishes in this fashion on February 24, 1957, and, again, on March 10, after which the car was repainted in Scuderia Askolin’s white and dark blue team livery.
From this point forward, Mr. Lincoln focused on driving his other cars, while XKD 530 was piloted for Askolin by various team drivers. Correspondence suggests that, around this time, Mr. Lincoln contacted the factory with interest in modifying the car to GT class specifications by converting it into an XK-SS road car. Eventually, the decision was made to conduct further race modifications domestically. Coachbuilders Wiima, of Helsinki, were retained to install a full-width windscreen, a new nearside door, and a custom tail fin. The year 1958 saw continued competitive outings, with numerous 1st and 2nd place finishes.
On May 26, 1959, Mr. Lincoln wrote to Jaguar’s racing chief, F.R.W. “Lofty” England, stating that the rigors of ice racing had taken a toll on the car and an overhaul was in order. The D-Type arrived at the Works competition department in Coventry in December 1959, and the engine block was replaced with a factory 3.8-liter example. The 40-millimeter Weber carburetors were replaced with 45-millimeter units, the gearbox and brakes were reconditioned, and the car was repainted in white. Chassis XKD 530 then returned to Scuderia Askolin with a written tag stating “+100 hp,” and Mr. Lincoln resumed racing it, taking the checkered flag twice more in February 1960.
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Robert Myrick Photography