This icon is estimated to sell for between £9,000,000 – £11,000,000.
RM Sotheby’s is delighted to announce the addition of a rare and truly iconic 1957 Jaguar XKSS to its upcoming London auction at The Peninsula London on 2 November. A road car project born of the 18 D-Type chassis that were unused from Jaguar’s racing programme, the XKSS was an exceptional high-performance machine little changed from the world-beating D-Type racing variant that conquered the 24 Hours of Le Mans no fewer than three times. Vanishingly rare, utterly beautiful, and with blistering performance, the XKSS is without a doubt one of the most desirable British sports cars ever made. While many XKSS models lived their lives as road cars, this particular example also boasts a storied racing history including competitive entries in both the United Kingdom and Australia.
Chassis XKD 540 is one of just two XKSSs to retain its D-Type competition XKD chassis number and was retained by Jaguar until April 1957, before being returned to the manufacturer for conversion to full XKSS specification in October 1958. It was then upgraded from 3.4- to 3.8-litre specification by the Jaguar factory in 1960. On leaving Browns Lane, the car was finished in the classic Jaguar combination of British Racing Green over a green suede leather interior.
This XKSS was sold to Jack Browning in 1959 and subsequently went to Australia in 1962, where it was raced locally. Following its time in the Antipodes, the car was purchased in 1972 by noted Jaguar enthusiast Bryan Corser, before being sold to long-time owner Hermann Graf von Hatzfeldt in 1985. Acquired by the consignor in 2017, and rarely driven since, the XKSS has been fastidiously maintained by marque experts Pearsons Engineering and CKL Developments.
Sholto Gilbertson, Director of Sales, UK, says “This hugely significant car, being the very first XKSS to have ever been offered for auction in Europe, highlights the stature of our upcoming London sale, and reinforces RM Sotheby’s unquestioned position as the world’s leading auction house for the world’s finest motor cars”.
Always impeccably preserved and fastidiously maintained, this comprehensively documented example is unquestionably one of the finest XKSSs in existence and would form the centerpiece of any world-class collection.
