1957 | Jaguar XK-SS

• Aluminium body by Shapecraft

• Fitted with 4.2L 350 BHP Jaguar straight-6

• Only 400 miles since construction

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION

This beautiful Jaguar XKSS replica was based on the car that was famously owned by movie icon Steve McQueen. Built by the Phoenix Sports Cars team of Phil and Oliver Cottrell – who have a huge amount of experience with C-type, D-type and XKSS replicas – it has covered only 400 miles since being completed in 2022 and is in fabulous condition throughout.

It features riveted aluminium bodywork that was painstakingly created by Shapecraft using wooden bucks from an original short-nose Jaguar D-type. The basic structure faithfully echoes the design of the XKSS, with a central monocoque and a front subframe to carry the engine and suspension, while the painstaking attention to detail extends to adding the correct louvres.

The car is powered by a 4.2-litre XK straight-six that’s running on triple Weber carburettors and has a wet-sump lubrication system. Additional cooling fans have been fitted and the stainless-steel exhaust features custom three-into-one manifolds and twin side pipes. 

Built to fast-road specification, the engine drives through a Moss four-speed gearbox with overdrive, plus a Salisbury Powr-Lok differential. Suspension is independent all round, with adjustable coilover dampers, while braking is taken care of by six-piston Fosseway calipers and vented discs at the front, with inboard discs at the rear. 

The cockpit is faithful to the original, with Smiths instruments and a Moto-Lita steering wheel. As on the McQueen car, the seats are finished in black leather, and Willans four-point harnesses have been added. The windscreen and its frame have been made using the original pattern, the wheels are three-piece, peg-drive Dunlop alloys with chromed spinners, and the exterior has been finished with details such as a Monza-style quick-release fuel-filler cap and a boot-mounted luggage rack.

Built to the very highest standard at a cost of $385,000 and delivered new to an owner in the south of France, this Jaguar XKSS replica is extremely well-sorted and makes for a spectacular road car. Beautiful, fast, and with a fabulous noise from that powerful straight-six, it will allow its next owner to follow in the wheeltracks of Steve McQueen and experience their very own ‘Le Mans car for the road’.