1956 Wingfield Jaguar 3.8-Litre D-Type Re-creation
Coachwork by Williams & Pritchard
Registration no. 870 UYE
Chassis no. 769101BW
Engine no. N6112-8

'This 190mph technical masterpiece, designed, built and prepared totally within Jaguar, was to achieve a hat-trick of spectacular Le Mans victories in the 1950s.' - Paul Skilleter, Jaguar: The Sporting Heritage.

The Jaguar C-Type had won the coveted Le Mans 24 Hour race twice (in 1951 and 1953) and was still competitive when Chief Engineer Bill Heynes and his team set about designing its successor. Moving the game on, Heynes abandoned the C-Type's tubular spaceframe chassis, adopting instead an aluminium monocoque body tub to which the aluminium front sub-frame carrying the engine and suspension was welded. It was an immensely far-sighted design, though later versions switched to a bolted-on steel framework. As ever, victory at Le Mans was Jaguar's first priority and so a great deal of attention was paid to getting the aerodynamics right. Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer duly came up with an efficient, wind-cheating shape that enabled the D-Type to outrun the opposition despite having a deficit of over 100 horsepower on occasions. In so doing he also created one of the most beautiful racing sports cars ever made. As well as building cars for the works team, Jaguar also undertook a limited production run for sale to privateers and between 1954 and 1957 some 87 in total of all variants were produced at Jaguar's Coventry factory.

Jaguar's multiple Le Mans wins in the 1950s - twice with the C-Type and three times with its D-Type successor - as well as numerous victories in the other great classic endurance events, have ensured a continuing healthy demand for replicas of these rare and exotic works sports-racers.

Acknowledged master in this highly specialised field is Brian Wingfield, an engineer famous for his Ford GT40 restorations and highly accurate C-Type and D-Type replicas. Constructed in the early 1980s, the car takes its identity and chassis plate from a 1956 Jaguar Mark VII saloon. This 'long nose' D-Type was originally commissioned by an American collector who subsequently loaned it to a prominent motor museum where it resided in an ideal environment for 30 years. It was driven approximately 100 miles annually, with service items regularly dispatched from Wingfield. The current odometer reading is only 3,021 miles.

Following the owner's death, the car was repatriated to the UK by JD Classics on his widow's behalf. Commencing in 2013, JD Classics undertook a thorough re-commissioning, which was only completed in February of this year (bills on file). The current (second) owner confirms that the D-Type provides a faultless and exhilarating drive, and advises us that it is identical to the real thing apart from not having the wide-angle cylinder head or Plessey servo-assisted brakes. Offered with current MoT and V5C registration document, this beautiful D-Type is presented in generally excellent and exceptionally original condition, having enjoyed an unusually easy and cosseted life.