Gooding & Company has announced the upcoming sale of a 1957 Jaguar XKSS – the first example to hit the auction block in more than a decade.
The remarkably rare British sports car will be one of the star lots at the company’s Amelia Island sale in Florida next month, where it’s expected to sell for a stunning $16 – $18 million.
During the 1950s the Jaguar D-Type came to dominate racing, with three consecutive overall wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957, along with victories at the 12 Hours of Reims, the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Grand Prix of Spa.
In 1957, to commemorate this success, the company announced it would build 25 road-going sports cars based on its Le Mans-winning D-type, to be known as the Jaguar XKSS.
However, Jaguar had completed construction of just 16 of the cars when, on the night of February 12, 1957, a devastating fire swept through the Browns Lane factory and the remaining nine unfinished chassis were destroyed.
In 2016, Jaguar announced that it would complete the original 1957 order by building these final nine ‘lost’ cars.
They were producing to the exact same specifications as the originals, using the same materials and techniques, which made them illegal for road use – but all nine examples were snapped up by collectors at a cost of £1 million each.
The car offered at Gooding & Company, chassis XKSS 716, is one of those 16 original survivors. It was delivered new to Montreal, Canada, where it was raced to victory in numerous Canadian racing events from 1957 until 1961.
The car has spent the past two decades in a single private collection, during which given a concours-quality restoration by marque specialists in the U.K, and has recently featured in prestigious events such as the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
"This renowned sports car delivers D-Type performance with nimble and responsive driving dynamics, paired perfectly with the most voluptuous design," said David Gooding, President and Founder of Gooding & Company.
"For us to present this XKSS, one of the greatest sports cars of all time and the first one offered at public auction in over a decade, is truly a great honor."
Gooding & Company’s Amelia Island Auction takes place at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation on Friday March 10.
