An exceptional event took place on August 15th as part of the 60th Pebble Beach Concours d'Élégance, in California. Not one but 12 of the 16 Jaguar XK-SS produced in 1957 were brought together for a unique display. According to experts, there has never been that many copies of the XK-SS in the same place at the same time… except of course, at the assembly plant that gave birth to them!
Jaguar Heritage curator Tony O’Keeffe came up with the initiative. Both Jaguar and Alfa Romeo, the two featured brands at this year’s Concours, are celebrating milestones in 2010; the former is 75 years old and the latter just topped the century mark.
While in the Monterey area to showcase their prized possessions to visitors, the 12 XK-SS owners took part in a rally from Pebble Beach’s prestigious Casa Palmero. They also ran laps at Laguna Seca and visited the historic Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel. In the end, these exclusive Jaguars stunned lots of fans and mere bystanders on multiple occasions.
A civilized D-Type!
The XK-SS was essentially a road-going version of the competition D-Type, which made a name for itself at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1954 to 1956. In order to ensure convenient everyday use, Jaguar added a second seat and door, a full-width windshield, a basic top covering the interior in the event of rain, side windows and small bumpers that hinted at the future E-Type. Meanwhile, the massive asymmetrical spine vanished, making the XK-SS quite attractive.
Under the hood was a 3.4-litre inline six-cylinder XK6 engine using triple Weber carburetors and sending 250 horsepower to the rear axle through a 4-speed transmission. Accelerations from 0 to 100 km/h took 6 seconds and top speed was rated at 230 km/h.
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| On August 15th, 12 of the 16 Jaguar XK-SS produced in 1957 were brought together for a unique display at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Élégance. (Photo: Jaguar) |
Jaguar Heritage curator Tony O’Keeffe came up with the initiative. Both Jaguar and Alfa Romeo, the two featured brands at this year’s Concours, are celebrating milestones in 2010; the former is 75 years old and the latter just topped the century mark.
While in the Monterey area to showcase their prized possessions to visitors, the 12 XK-SS owners took part in a rally from Pebble Beach’s prestigious Casa Palmero. They also ran laps at Laguna Seca and visited the historic Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel. In the end, these exclusive Jaguars stunned lots of fans and mere bystanders on multiple occasions.
A civilized D-Type!
The XK-SS was essentially a road-going version of the competition D-Type, which made a name for itself at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1954 to 1956. In order to ensure convenient everyday use, Jaguar added a second seat and door, a full-width windshield, a basic top covering the interior in the event of rain, side windows and small bumpers that hinted at the future E-Type. Meanwhile, the massive asymmetrical spine vanished, making the XK-SS quite attractive.
Under the hood was a 3.4-litre inline six-cylinder XK6 engine using triple Weber carburetors and sending 250 horsepower to the rear axle through a 4-speed transmission. Accelerations from 0 to 100 km/h took 6 seconds and top speed was rated at 230 km/h.
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| The Jaguar XK-SS was essentially a road-going version of the competition D-Type, which made a name for itself at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1954 to 1956. Here they are in front of the historic Mission San Carlos Borromeo in Carmel. (Photo: Kimball Studios/Pebble Beach Concours d'Élégance) |