During the dawn of the 1950s, Jaguar’s sole objective was to design a sports car that could win the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. This ambitious task would lead to a sleek, aerodynamic body design, the handy work of Jaguar’s Technical Director and Chief Engineer, William Heynes, along with Malcolm Sayer, who took inspiration from aviation engineering. While some of the brand’s key figures were drafted in to assist with their new project, minds full of experience, aspiration and technical know-how, the overall aim of the Jaguar D-Type was simple – it needed to cut through the air like a hot knife through butter. Between 1954 and 1957, a total of 71 D-Types were assembled, many of which would experience fierce on-track combat with their Italian rivals, while others were sold to weekend racers desperate to experience Jaguar’s latest marvel. However, this sole example remained entirely unraced, and has been cared for by a select few careful custodians since new. Now, its story continues, as it heads to Broad Arrow’s Zürich Auction, which will be held in partnership with Auto Zürich at the world famous Dolder Grand hotel on Saturday 1 November 2025.
Manufactured in 1956, chassis XKD 551 was sold to its first private owner in October 1957, who instead of demolishing weekend racers at their local racetrack as many D-Types did, decided to carefully convert it to semi-XKSS specification, removing the central bulkhead and adding a passenger door, as well as fitting a full-width windscreen. The original owner enjoyed the car before selling up in 1963, heading into the ownership of Hon. James Dawnay, who famously owned and raced the Aston Martin DBR1/1. If that wasn’t special enough, the sporting provenance continued when it was sold to Australian Formula 1 driver Paul Hawkins.
During the 1970s, another owner would remove the XKSS-style modifications and return the D-Type to its original configuration, and it eventually landed with its current Swiss owner in 1994. Incredibly, the original XK inline-six engine had been removed to ensure its preservation and replaced with a correct specification engine fitted in its place. The current Swiss owner invested in a significant rebuild of the original engine and once complete, kept the car securely in storage for the next two decades. Recently, XKD 551 was reunited with its original engine, still fresh from its 2005 rebuild, and this incredible D-Type was treated to a service by the renowned Swiss specialists Graber Sportgarage in preparation for the sale.
Presenting what is perhaps the rarest of opportunities in the motorsport world, one lucky bidder will have the chance to turn the clocks back almost 70 years and experience this Jaguar D-Type on track for the very first time. Complete with its matching chassis and engine numbers, this sleek cat is perhaps the ultimate ticket into some of the world’s best historic race events, where it is eligible for the Goodwood Revival, Silverstone Classic, Mille Miglia Storica, Le Mans Classic, Monaco Historic Grand Prix, and Spa Classic to name just a few! The D-Type is estimated to bring between 5,250,000 to 6,250,000 Swiss francs, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see this beautiful jewel of motorsport history fetch even more!
Zürich, 1 Nov
