THE COACHMAKERS

@JAGUAR.CLASSIC INSTAGRAM

Six decades on from the famous Brown’s Lane fire that wiped it out, the XKSS is back. A mere 16 were originally completed for export to the US before the remaining nine were destroyed in the factory blaze of February 12, 1957.

All these years later, nine brand-new XKSSs have been meticulously handcrafted by Jaguar Classic to the exact 1957 specification and made exclusively available to a select group of collectors and customers. Inspired by the Lightweight E-type project, each new XKSS ‘continuation’ was painstakingly handbuilt at Jaguar’s new facility located in Warwick.

The XKSS story began with the all-conquering D-type’s three successive Le Mans victories in 1955, 1956 and 1957. After this, Sir Williams Lyons had the supreme vision to convert the remaining 25 D-type racers into road-going versions, thus creating the world’s first supercar.

This Austin-Healey 100-6 was built July 21-23, 1958. It was supplied as a lefthand-drive American import in 1958. Envisage Classic and Bespoke purchased the car just after it was re-imported into the UK in 2016.

The 100-6 required a full restoration, and the project was carried out in the company’s Coventry workshop. In order to secure authenticity, staff scanned a very good original car and created a full set of outer body panel hammer-form tools. This enabled them to save some of the genuine panels and make new versions where needed, to very high quality and accuracy. Envisage Classic and Bespoke displayed the car at Techno Classica Essen 2019, along with a Jaguar D-type it also built. The car was left unpainted to display the level of craftsmanship involved.

Bentley chassis no. BC26CH is one of a mere 16 cars that were built to design no. CT29 by James Young on the S1 Continental chassis. This particular example was completed in June 1958 and supplied by London dealer Jack Barclay to its first keeper. Its most recent longterm owner, a surgeon from France, kept the Continental for 29 years before the current owners purchased it four years ago. It is in completely original condition, and is used regularly; it was also driven to the London Concours. It is presented in Pewter over Tan, and has a 4887cc straight-six.

This Series 1 E-type has all the looks of 1961-’64 cars, but with the more powerful, torquier, 4.2-litre straight-six of the so-called Series 1½ models of 1965-’67. These cars also had all-synchro gearboxes, better electrics and other improvements, and as such are the most sought after of E-types except for the very early first few hundred ‘flat-floor’ cars, which are less driveable but more collectible. This particular car, presented in Opalescent Dark Green, is known to have been campaigned in 1966 and took part in the famous Mont Ventoux hillclimb in France. More recently it was in storage for 24 years, and has since been the subject of a three-year restoration.

AGK 508 is a replica of the Talbot 110 Alpine. In period the 3.3-litre team cars were serious performers, combining power, handling and outstanding braking. The 105 team car PL4 effectively ceased to exist after numerous changes in the late 1940s. In the ’70s, a 75 saloon became the donor for the rebirth of the team car, with most of PL4’s remaining parts incorporated in the recreation. AGK 508 has done many road and competition miles as it’s passed through a series of owners. The current keeper purchased the Alpine in 2007 and engaged in a full restoration, since which the car has attended Le Mans, Monaco, Magny-Cours, the Malta Mdina Classic and the Kop Hill Climb.

The first-generation Azure four-seater convertible is a classic grand tourer, built from 1995 to 2003 on a strengthened Continental R platform. Pininfarina was involved in the conversion to full convertible. The Azure is powered by a turbocharged version of Bentley’s venerable 6.75-litre V8, producing around 360bhp. This car was purchased in 2006 from Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialist P&A Wood. The current owner is the second, the first having been Naseem Hamed, otherwise known as boxer Prince Naseem. The colour is Peacock Blue, with stunning cream leather upholstery.