Jaguar’s 70-Edition marks the C-type’s first victory at Le Mans

Jaguar Classic has unveiled two C-type Continuations to celebrate the vehicle’s victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1953. Four Jaguars were entered that year, finishing first, second, fourth, and ninth.

Each C-type Continuation “70-Edition” features exclusive colour and trim, with handcrafted silver enamelled badging, “70-Edition” stitching and embroidery, and painted roundels with race number 70.

The logo is inspired by the visual features of the C-type, originally created by Jaguar designer Malcolm Sayer, who was also responsible for the shape of the D-type and E-type models.

The first car is finished in a one-off colour, Verbier Silver, with Cranberry Red leather interior, inspired by the C-type’s platinum anniversary.

The second is styled in British Racing Green with a Suede Green leather and is a tribute to the victorious C-type XKC051 car driven by Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton.

Each car has bespoke key housing and a dashboard plaque from jeweller Deakin & Francis, crafted from a 1953 C-type fuel tank.

“Each C-type Continuation is a rare and special vehicle to grace any collection, but we are delighted to reveal these two exquisite editions to commemorate a landmark year for Jaguar and motorsport,” said Matthew Bailey, senior manager for strategy and business development at Jaguar Land Rover Classic .

“The C-type is a historically significant car with Jaguar pioneering disc-brake technology 70 years ago, and we often take for granted that the disc-brake remains the industry standard.”

All the cars are built to the specification of the 1953 Works C-types. Using CAD modelling, it takes more than 3,000 hours to build each one at the Jaguar Classic Works in Coventry.

All C-type Continuation models, including the latest pair of special editions are powered by a 3.4l straight-six engine that took nine months to construct with meticulously refurbished triple Weber 40DCO3 carburettors, producing 164kW.

Jaguar Classic’s team has been fastidious about detail. Photos of the brake-fluid reservoir show that the original cars featured brackets, no doubt designed for application in another vehicle, yet in the C-type they served no purpose. But all Continuation C-types retain this anomaly for authenticity.

The first few Continuations are now complete and being delivered to customers worldwide. All models are FIA-approved and eligible to participate in assorted FIA Historic events, including the Jaguar Classic Challenge, which takes place at a variety of racetracks including Le Mans and Silverstone.