A road-legal D-Type. Steve McQueen's daily driver. Only 16 built before a fire at Jaguar's Browns Lane factory destroyed 9 unfinished cars. The XKSS added a passenger door, a folding windshield, and minimal bumpers to the Le Mans winner.
History
After the FIA changed regulations making the D-Type non-competitive, Jaguar had unsold racing cars in stock. The solution was to add minimal road equipment and sell them as the world's fastest road car.
The conversion was simple: add a passenger door (the D-Type only had a driver's door), fit a folding windshield, add basic bumpers, and include a luggage rack. The Le Mans-winning XK engine and monocoque structure were unchanged.
On February 12, 1957, a fire at Jaguar's Browns Lane factory destroyed 9 of the 25 planned XKSS cars. Only 16 were completed and delivered. Steve McQueen purchased one in 1958 and drove it daily in Hollywood, receiving numerous speeding tickets.
The XKSS is one of the rarest and most valuable road cars ever made. Values exceed GBP 10 million. In 2016, Jaguar built 9 'continuation' XKSS cars to replace those lost in the fire, priced at GBP 1 million each.
Production & Heritage
Value estimates are editorial assessments based on recent auction results and market trends.
Technical Specifications
Engine Details
Performance
Tags
Designed by Malcolm Sayer
From the 1950s
