Jaguar C-Type
Encyclopedia
The Jaguar C-Type is a racing sports car
built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" designation stood for "competition".
The car used the running gear of the contemporary XK120
in a lightweight tubular frame and aerodynamic aluminium body. A total of 52 C-Types were built.
engine produced between 160 and 180 bhp. The version in the C-Type was originally tuned to around 205 bhp. Later C-Types were more powerful, using triple twin-choke Weber
carburettor
s and high-lift camshaft
s. They were also lighter, and from 1952 braking performance was improved by disc brake
s on all four wheels. The lightweight, multi-tubular, triangulated frame was designed by Bob Knight. The aerodynamic body was designed by Malcolm Sayer
. Made of aluminium in the barchetta
style, it was devoid of road-going items such as carpets, weather equipment and exterior door handles.
In 1951
the car won at its first attempt. The factory entered three, whose driver pairings were Stirling Moss
and Jack Fairman
, Leslie Johnson
and 3-times Mille Miglia
winner Clemente Biondetti
, and the eventual winners, Peter Walker
and Peter Whitehead. The Walker/Whitehead car was the only factory entry to finish, the other two retiring with lack of oil pressure. A privately entered XK120, owned by Robert Lawrie
, co-driven by Ivan Waller, also completed the race, finishing 11th.
In 1952
Jaguar, worried by a report about the speed of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL
s that would run at Le Mans, modified the C-Type’s aerodynamics to increase the top speed. However, the consequent rearrangement of the cooling system made the car vulnerable to overheating. All three retired from the race. The Peter Whitehead/Ian Stewart
and Tony Rolt
/Duncan Hamilton cars blew head gaskets, and the Stirling Moss/Peter Walker car, the only one not overheating, lost oil pressure after a mechanical breakage. Later testing by Norman Dewis at MIRA after the race proved that it was not the body shape that caused the overheating but mainly the water pump pulley that was undersize, spun too fast, caused cavitation and thus the overheating. What the body shape did do though was to create enormous tail lift, which caused the cars to squirrel their way down the Mulsanne (properly called the Hunaudières) straight at speeds over 120mph (200kph). The chassis numbers of the cars were XKC 001, 002 and 011, the latter existing today as a normal C-type, the others being dismantled at the factory. An exact copy of XKC 002 has since been created by CKL Developments in England, complete with FIA papers.
In 1953
a C-Type won again. This time the body was in thinner, lighter aluminium and the original twin H8 sand cast SU carburettors were replaced by three DCO3 40mm Webers
, which helped boost power to 220 bhp. Philip Porter mentions additional changes:
Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt won the race at 105.85 mph {170.34 km/h} – the first time Le Mans had been won at an average of over 100 miles per hour (44.7 m/s). 1954, the C-Type's final year at Le Mans, saw a fourth place by the Ecurie Francorchamps
entry driven by Roger Laurent
and Jacques Swaters
.
magazine ("Slick Cat Jaguar", p.70) the value of a "genuine, healthy" C-Type is estimated as £400,000, and the value of the 1953 Le Mans winner is about £2 million; replicas are available from a variety of sources from £40,000. A C-Type once owned and raced by Phil Hill
sold at an American auction in August 2009 for $2,530,000
, D-Type
, and XKSS
, D-Type's road version, are being built by British company Lynx Motors.
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of circuit auto racing with automobiles that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built or related to road-going sports cars....
built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" designation stood for "competition".
The car used the running gear of the contemporary XK120
Jaguar XK120
The Jaguar XK120 is a sports car which was manufactured by Jaguar between 1948 and 1954. It was Jaguar's first sports car since the SS 100, which ceased production in 1940.-History:...
in a lightweight tubular frame and aerodynamic aluminium body. A total of 52 C-Types were built.
Specification
The road-going XK120’s 3.4-litre twin-cam, straight-6Straight-6
The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase...
engine produced between 160 and 180 bhp. The version in the C-Type was originally tuned to around 205 bhp. Later C-Types were more powerful, using triple twin-choke Weber
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
carburettor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
s and high-lift camshaft
Camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part.-History:An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Iraq by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his automata,...
s. They were also lighter, and from 1952 braking performance was improved by disc brake
Disc brake
The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel while it is in motion.A brake disc is usually made of cast iron, but may in some cases be made of composites such as reinforced carbon–carbon or ceramic matrix composites. This is connected to the wheel and/or...
s on all four wheels. The lightweight, multi-tubular, triangulated frame was designed by Bob Knight. The aerodynamic body was designed by Malcolm Sayer
Malcolm Sayer
Malcolm Sayer was an aircraft and car designer. His most notable work being the iconic E-Type Jaguar. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aerodynamics to car design.-Background:Sayer was born in Cromer,...
. Made of aluminium in the barchetta
Barchetta
A barchetta was originally an Italian style of open 2-seater sports car which was built for racing. Weight and wind resistance were kept to a minimum, and any unnecessary equipment or decoration were sacrificed in order to maximize performance....
style, it was devoid of road-going items such as carpets, weather equipment and exterior door handles.
Racing
The C-Type was successful in racing, most notably at the Le Mans 24 hours race, which it won twice.In 1951
1951 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1951 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 19th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 22 and 23 1951.This race saw the death of French driver Jean Larivière within the opening laps of the race.-Official results:-Did Not Finish:-Statistics:...
the car won at its first attempt. The factory entered three, whose driver pairings were Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
and Jack Fairman
Jack Fairman
Jack Fairman was a British racing driver from England. He participated in 13 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 18 July 1953...
, Leslie Johnson
Leslie Johnson
Leslie George Johnson was a British racing driver who competed in rallies, hill climbs, sports car races and Grand Prix races.-Overview:...
and 3-times Mille Miglia
Mille Miglia
The Mille Miglia was an open-road endurance race which took place in Italy twenty-four times from 1927 to 1957 ....
winner Clemente Biondetti
Clemente Biondetti
Clemente Biondetti was an Italian auto racing driver.-Biography:Born in Buddusò, Sardinia, into a working class family, Biondetti began racing motorcycles in 1923 but in 1927 turned to automobiles...
, and the eventual winners, Peter Walker
Peter Walker (driver)
Peter Douglas Conyers Walker was a British racing driver. He was born in Leeds, Yorkshire and died in Newtown, Worcestershire....
and Peter Whitehead. The Walker/Whitehead car was the only factory entry to finish, the other two retiring with lack of oil pressure. A privately entered XK120, owned by Robert Lawrie
Robert Lawrie
Robert Lawrie was a British alpine and polar equipment specialist and racing driver.Robert Lawrie was born in Burnley. He trained as a shoe and boot maker at his father's firm which he later ran. By the late 1920s he had become an accomplished climber and alpinist, and he started to design,...
, co-driven by Ivan Waller, also completed the race, finishing 11th.
In 1952
1952 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 20th Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 14 - 15 1952 at Circuit de la Sarthe.Less than a decade after World War II, Mercedes-Benz scored a 1-2 victory with their Mercedes-Benz 300SL which was equipped with a 3.0L I6 engine that had less power than...
Jaguar, worried by a report about the speed of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Mercedes-Benz 300SL
The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was introduced in 1954 as a two-seat, closed sports car with distinctive gull-wing doors. Later it was offered as an open roadster...
s that would run at Le Mans, modified the C-Type’s aerodynamics to increase the top speed. However, the consequent rearrangement of the cooling system made the car vulnerable to overheating. All three retired from the race. The Peter Whitehead/Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart (racing driver)
Ian Macpherson M Stewart is a Scottish former racing driver. He participated in one World Championship Grand Prix, for the Scottish Ecurie Ecosse team, on 18 July 1953. He failed to finish due to an ignition fault, and scored no championship points...
and Tony Rolt
Tony Rolt
Major Anthony Peter Roylance "Tony" Rolt, MC & Bar, was a British racing driver, soldier and engineer. He won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans and participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix without scoring a championship point...
/Duncan Hamilton cars blew head gaskets, and the Stirling Moss/Peter Walker car, the only one not overheating, lost oil pressure after a mechanical breakage. Later testing by Norman Dewis at MIRA after the race proved that it was not the body shape that caused the overheating but mainly the water pump pulley that was undersize, spun too fast, caused cavitation and thus the overheating. What the body shape did do though was to create enormous tail lift, which caused the cars to squirrel their way down the Mulsanne (properly called the Hunaudières) straight at speeds over 120mph (200kph). The chassis numbers of the cars were XKC 001, 002 and 011, the latter existing today as a normal C-type, the others being dismantled at the factory. An exact copy of XKC 002 has since been created by CKL Developments in England, complete with FIA papers.
In 1953
1953 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 21st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 13 and 14 1953. It was also the third round of the World Sportscar Championship....
a C-Type won again. This time the body was in thinner, lighter aluminium and the original twin H8 sand cast SU carburettors were replaced by three DCO3 40mm Webers
Weber carburetor
Weber is an Italian company producing carburetors, currently owned by Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A., in turn part of the Fiat Group.The company was established as...
, which helped boost power to 220 bhp. Philip Porter mentions additional changes:
Further weight was saved by using a rubber bag fuel tank ... lighter electrical equipment and thinner gauge steel for some of the chassis tubes ... [T]he most significant change to the cars was the [switch to] disc brakes.
Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt won the race at 105.85 mph {170.34 km/h} – the first time Le Mans had been won at an average of over 100 miles per hour (44.7 m/s). 1954, the C-Type's final year at Le Mans, saw a fourth place by the Ecurie Francorchamps
Ecurie Francorchamps
Ecurie Francorchamps was a Belgian motor racing team. They are principally known for running privateer cars in Formula One and sports car racing during the 1950s and 1970s. The team was founded by racing driver Jacques Swaters...
entry driven by Roger Laurent
Roger Laurent
Roger Laurent was a racing driver from Belgium. He was born in Liège and died in Uccle. He participated in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 22 June 1952. He scored no championship points....
and Jacques Swaters
Jacques Swaters
Jacques Swaters was a racing driver from Belgium and former team owner of Ecurie Francorchamps and Ecurie Nationale Belge....
.
Values
When new, the car sold for about $6,000, approximately twice the price of an XK120. In an article in the June 11, 2003 issue of AutocarAutocar
Autocar is a weekly British automobile magazine published by Haymarket Motoring Publications Ltd. It refers to itself as "The World's oldest car magazine".-History:...
magazine ("Slick Cat Jaguar", p.70) the value of a "genuine, healthy" C-Type is estimated as £400,000, and the value of the 1953 Le Mans winner is about £2 million; replicas are available from a variety of sources from £40,000. A C-Type once owned and raced by Phil Hill
Phil Hill
Philip Toll Hill, Jr., was a United States automobile racer and the only American-born driver to win the Formula One World Drivers' Championship. Hill was described as a "thoughtful, gentle man" and once said, "I'm in the wrong business. I don't want to beat anybody, I don't want to be the big hero...
sold at an American auction in August 2009 for $2,530,000
Replica
Replicas of C-Type, as well as E-TypeJaguar E-type
The Jaguar E-Type or XK-E is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring...
, D-Type
Jaguar D-type
The Jaguar D-Type, like its predecessor the C-Type, was a factory-built race car. Although it shared the basic straight-6 XK engine design with the C-Type, the majority of the car was radically different...
, and XKSS
Jaguar XKSS
The Jaguar XKSS was a road-going version of the Jaguar D-Type racing car.After Jaguar withdrew from racing the company offered the remaining, unfinished chassis as the roadgoing Jaguar XKSS, by making changes to the racers: adding an extra seat, another door, a full-width windshield and folding...
, D-Type's road version, are being built by British company Lynx Motors.
External links
- Coventry Racers – Pages for each of the 55 C-Types, including photos and short histories for many.
- Lynx Motors – Builder of Jaguar replicas.