Jaguar fans can look forward to a very special car going under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s auction taking place during Monterey Car Week this August.
The car is the 1955 Jaguar D-Type that won overall at the 1956 24 Hours of Le Mans, and it’s pretty much in the same condition it was in when Ecurie Ecosse and drivers Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson took home the win.
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That’s because the car didn’t race much after the 1956 season, and it has had just two private owners since Ecurie Ecosse sold it.
The car bears chassis number XKD 501 and is powered by a 3.4-liter inline-6 good for about 250 horsepower. Drive is to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission, and disc brakes, which Jaguar pioneered for automotive use, feature at each corner.
The car is expected to be the most expensive Jaguar ever sold at auction. The record to beat is the $13.2 million that a 1953 C-Type with a lesser pedigree sold for at RM’s Monterey auction a year ago. That car only finished fourth at Le Mans.
There’s a lot of rare metal set to be sold during this year’s Monterey Car Week. RM will also be auctioning off the very first Shelby Cobra, along with a pair of Mk1 Ford Motor Company GT40s, a Mercedes-Benz 500K Cabriolet, and numerous classic Ferraris.
Rival auction house Mecum will also be present with a varied assortment of cars, including an Aston Martin Vulcan, another Mk1 Ford GT 40, and an uber-rare Porsche 912 prototype.
Both auctions start Thursday, August 18 and run through Saturday, August 20. To follow our complete coverage of Monterey Car Week and the highlight event, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, head to our dedicated hub.