Description
The C-Type was successful in racing, most notably at the Le Mans 24 hours race, which it won twice; the war won in 1951, 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 1953 a C-Type won again. This time the body was in thinner and of lighter aluminium; the original twin H8 sand cast SU carburettors were replaced by three DCO3 40mm Webers, which helped boost power to 220bhp (164 kW). Philip Porter mentions additional changes.
Duncan Hamilton and Tony Rolt won the race at 105.85mph – the first time Le Mans had been won at an average of over 100mph. 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.
Since securing the rights to build C-type evocations in the early 1980’s Realm Engineering have become a hugely popular choice for many fans of the model. This particular example presented in the traditional British Racing Green is the work of the now renowned Robert Shephard of St. Austell. The third car of its type to be built by him this car is a very tidy machine. Its 4.2 litre Jaguar engine is connected to a fully overhauled 4 speed synchro gearbox with overdrive with a fully overhauled cylinder head, new timing chains and tensioners and new pistons ands rings in a reground crankshaft. The car also has an upgraded cooling system with a shrouded electric fan and a coolant expansion tank.
Coming complete with a full file of receipts for parts, engineering and coachwork together with a number photographs of the build process, this beautiful C-type evocation is MOT’d until August 2017.
