1952 Jaguar C type - the Kettle Cars

[jith]

lowdrag said:

Here are the photos I took of the shark nose car at Silverstone in the mid 90's. No prizes for guessing the driver though!

Edited by lowdrag on Saturday 4th August 08:46

That's Lewis Hamilton, isn't it??!!

[lowdrag]

Phase 1 is now complete. The Ecurie Ecosse car is sold and I am now looking at various alternatives but most of the kit C types are out of the question since they use a Mk 2 axle which is 4' 7" wide as opposed to the 4' 3" of the C type. However, I've found one rather interesting site at www.ctype.biz and am talking to them to see where we can get to. Basically I want a C type as shown on their site at the Stoneleigh meet - that is to say tub, engine and all running gear but no front or rear to the car. At that stage the car would go to CKL for the front and rear to be built and fettling before taking delivery. Who knows, perhaps we might see the caterpillar emerge from its chysalis at the end of next year? The other option is the rumours that one of the five Lynx C types might be available and if so I'd prefer that since I am just crazy about Lynx, having had two. I'll keep you up to date as things progress. Incidentally, there were certainly three and possibly four buyers for the Ecurie Ecosse Lynx D type. The marque is certainly very popular it seems. Oh, and it sold through a Pistonheads advert too. Well done PH!

[williamp]

sounds great. Nice to have the choice, and I guess it sall comes down to "how original do you want it" versus "how usuable do I want it" for todays traffic. If the latter is more important then the former then you can compromise on more areas...

[Huntsman]

lowdrag said:

Phase 1 is now complete. The Ecurie Ecosse car is sold and I am now looking at various alternatives but most of the kit C types are out of the question since they use a Mk 2 axle which is 4' 7" wide as opposed to the 4' 3" of the C type. However, I've found one rather interesting site at www.ctype.biz and am talking to them to see where we can get to. Basically I want a C type as shown on their site at the Stoneleigh meet - that is to say tub, engine and all running gear but no front or rear to the car. At that stage the car would go to CKL for the front and rear to be built and fettling before taking delivery. Who knows, perhaps we might see the caterpillar emerge from its chysalis at the end of next year? The other option is the rumours that one of the five Lynx C types might be available and if so I'd prefer that since I am just crazy about Lynx, having had two. I'll keep you up to date as things progress. Incidentally, there were certainly three and possibly four buyers for the Ecurie Ecosse Lynx D type. The marque is certainly very popular it seems. Oh, and it sold through a Pistonheads advert too. Well done PH!

Nice project!

I looked at Ctype.biz, just how many C types were there? one caoption mentions XKC043, I thought there was only about 11 made.

[lowdrag]

53 C types were built plus the still born chassis no. 54 which was a D type prototype. I'm not sure offhand how many survive but I do have the complete list somewhere. For D types the comparative figures are 87 built with 67 surviving though.

[a8hex]

Huntsman said:

I looked at Ctype.biz, just how many C types were there? one caoption mentions XKC043, I thought there was only about 11 made.

The JDHT publish the "C-Type Register" which gives a brief history of all the cars. Sadly it's not up to date. Partly that is because it's a publish book and so dates. But also because not all the owners necessarily want to be identified.


You can also take a look at

http://www.classicscars.com/chassis/Ctype.htm


edited to add that link

Edited by a8hex on Friday 2nd November 13:03

[a8hex]

Further to that, there is an article in this months XK Gazette about XKC023. It looks like all the bits have now been bought by one person. So this one is probably coming back together again too.

[lowdrag]

For the complete history of XKC 023 go here:-

http://www.jcna.com/library/news/2002/jcna0076.htm...

Don't forget to click on the links and follow the letters and documentation with the link at the end. A truly amazing tale of this car. I had the pleasure of visiting Terry Larson in Mesa Arizona in February 2005 and I append a couple of photos of his C and D type, the latter of which I had the pleasure of driving at Donington in 1992 when under the ownership of the late Jim Wallis.

Edited by lowdrag on Saturday 3rd November 16:18

[a8hex]

Tony,

There's an article towards the back of the latest JEC magazine which has a couple of photos of the 1952 C-Types which I'd not seen before. The article is about Ron Lea and I assume the pictures are ones he had taken as he talks about going that year and his experience of being over taken by the Jaguar team cavalcade en route to the circuit. Both the pictures are side profiles taken from a fraction behind the car, both cars have their bonnets raised.

There is also a picture else where a little OKY 1, yours?, it's next to the big OKY 1.

[lowdrag]

I'm not a member of the JEC but if you could scan the photos and send to me I'd love to see them. I've no idea who owns OKY but a propos number plates the original car had the trade plate 032 RW. I found 132 RW for sale and phoned up for it. It had been withdrawn the day before. Merde! However, here's a photo from the Le Mans Classic brochure 2006 of mine (on the right) with a sister car and our baby. Not that one perhaps?

Edited by lowdrag on Friday 25th January 12:48

[jagman21]

not doubting ckl quality of panel work, but can i recommend RS panels of coventry, they are pretty much the authority when it comes to jaguar coachwork, i'm sure you must heard of them.

http://www.rspanels.co.uk/

[McNab]

lowdrag,

I have a good photograph of No 19 at Le Mans in 1952. Will email it to you if you want it. More to the point, you probably have a copy of Andrew Whyte's "Jaguar Sports Racing & Works Competition Cars To 1953", but if not the whole story (and pics) can be found on page 169 et seq.

Not a fun car to drive on the Mulsanne straight.

054 certainly did exist. Norman Dewis took me to see it at the works just after it had been built and before he had driven it - a prospect which didn't appeal to him at the time!


Ian Stewart.

[lowdrag]

I'd love any photo you have Ian, indeed it would be an honour given your name! Are you he, in which case it is Mr. Stewart. Respect very much due sir. Such things are hard to come by and the more I learn the more I know I have to learn. Each of the three cars were different in their detail. Yes, it does seem that the long tail acted like an inverse rear wing and lifted the tail so they became downright dangerous on the Mulsanne but I think that if Jaguar had persisted with the shape they could have cured the problem. The car after all was hastily constructed and unproved so a little fettling would have solved the problems. If you read Skilleter's book Jaguar Sports Cars (page 125) it is clear that the cars had potential; the BHP needed to maintain 100mph reduced from 53 to 42 with the streamlined body so gearing could have been lengthened and consumption reduced. Again, the problem wasn't the streamlined shape (as is the general conception) but the 7/8ths tubing (changed after the race to 1 1/4in and as such the car did six hours at MIRA without problems) from the radiator to the header tank that was the cause of the overheating, combined with an impeller problem in the water pump. Look forward to the photo!

Edited by lowdrag on Tuesday 29th January 15:20

[Leithen]

Leithen said:

You need to PM McNab (Standing Far Right).

Driving 19, he ought to be able to tell you chapter and verse.

Last time we looked Klementaski had some good pics too.

I did try and give you the heads up...

[McNab]

Thanks for your kind words lowdrag. Will email the photo - couldn't post it here because of copyright.

Any other questions, please ask - it's a long time ago, but I remember the details as if it all happened yesterday, perhaps because it was such a disappointment.

Cheers,
Ian.