PHer's Jag C-Type goes for sale

Classic 1952 racing car to be auctioned at Christie's

By PH Staff / Monday, 16 May 2005 / Loading comments

PHer McNab in the Jersey road race

Sir Stirling Moss in his C-Type

C-Type replica from Racing Green Cars

A slice of Jaguar history is about to go up for sale. The 1952 C-Type owned by PHer McNab is to be auctioned off at Christie's next month, and is expected to reach between £1.2 and £1.5 million.

Based on the drop-dead gorgeous XK120 and also known as the XK120C, Jaguar built just 53 of the fabulous 150mph C-Type sports racing cars which won the 24-hour Le Mans race in 1951 and 1953. Sir Stirling Moss always said it was one of his favourite cars (he owns chassis no. 39 - see pic).

Jaguar C-Type's history

In 1950, Jaguar decided to take three cars to France for the 24 Heures du Mans, merely to assess their capabilities against international opposition. They were unlucky not to finish in the top three, when the leading example succumbed to clutch trouble after 21 hours. However, valuable lessons had been learnt.

Jaguar then felt had the makings of a successful competition car if it could save weight and improve the aerodynamics. The XK120C was born.

To reduce weight, a multi-tubular triangulated frame was chosen and designed by Bob Knight. The body was designed by an aerodynamicist, Malcolm Sayer, who had joined the company from the aircraft industry. Many components were carried over from the production XKs including the engine, although it was modified with larger exhaust valves and SU carburettors, and higher lift cams.

Three C-types were finished just in time for Le Mans in 1951. They were to be driven by Stirling Moss (now the team leader) and 'Jolly' Jack Fairman; the Peters, Walker and Whitehead (a couple of gentlemen farmers); and Leslie Johnson with Clemente Biondetti.

The Jaguars were an unknown quantity and the crowd was watching the Ferraris, Talbots and Cunninghams. However, Moss set off at a great rate of knots breaking the lap record and the opposition. An amazing 1-2-3 looked possible until an oil pipe flange broke on Biondetti's car. Then a similar fate befell Moss. The third car's luck held however and Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead recorded a remarkable victory first time out for the C-types.

A year later, Jaguar was less lucky. Concerned about reports of the new Mercedes' straight-line speed, Jaguar hastily and unwisely fitted more streamlined bodies but was unable to test them at sustained speeds of 150mph. Within hours all three had retired with overheating problems. Jaguar built a small quantity of 'production' C-types and of the 53 built, including the works cars, a number found their way to the States where they were successfully raced.

A year on, in 1953, Jaguar engineers had been working with Dunlop on a completely new type of brake that had, as yet, only been used on aircraft: the disc brake. It was to be Jaguar's secret weapon.

The 24-hour race that year was notable for having representatives from most of the leading European motor car manufacturers and most of the top Grand Prix drivers. Rarely, if ever, had the competition been so intense. But with their fade-free brakes, the C-types could decelerate at the end of the three and a half mile Mulsanne Straight from speeds of around 150 mph, time after time, with complete confidence and could leave braking far later than their rivals. The result was a complete walkover, the Jaguars finishing first, second and fourth.

The winning car was driven by a couple who typified the amateur drivers of the era. Major Tony Rolt had won the Military Cross for distinguished war service and Duncan Hamilton was a larger than life character to whom it was very much sport for sport's sake. Moss and Walker finished second after suffering fuel feed trouble early on.

Want a C-Type?

Today, ownership of an original C-Type is the stuff of dreams, given the price. But there is an answer if you really want one... TVR and sports car specialist Racing Green Cars can make you a faithful replica, says the company's Web site, and it's an absolutely perfect recreation of the original. More on Racing Green's site (link below).

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