With an archive as richly populated as Jaguar, the 2021 launch of the British automaker’s C-Type continuation models makes perfect sense in the celebration of a vehicle that is as historically important as it is visually striking. This year, Jaguar is producing two C-Type Edition 70 cars that are even more exceptional than the ones that came before them, arriving with a price tag worthy of their meticulously hand-built quality.
The C-type continuation series was first launched as a part of Jaguar Land Rover Classic Division, to shine a spotlight on the car that won the first 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1953. Not only did a Jaguar C-Type win the race, breaking speed and distance records in the process, but Jaguar racing cars would also claim second, fourth and ninth place in the ’53 race, cementing the distinct silhouette in the history books in the process.
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The two special edition C-Type cars that have just been launched pay tribute to those high-performance race cars, with the first executed in a one-off Verbier Silver exterior colourway to mark the car’s platinum anniversary, complimented nicely by a cranberry red leather upholstered interior. The second special edition looks the part with a British Racing Green painted body, with a matching Suede Green leather cabin for the perfect tone-on-tone look.
Special edition cars demand special partners to bring the vision to life, which is why Jaguar also sought the help of Deakin & Francis jewellers to create the vehicle’s silver-enamelled badges and dashboard hardware. As is always the case with bespoke creations that require uncompromising historical veracity, the devil is in the details.
Powering all of Jaguar’s C-Type continuation series is the 3.4-litre inline-six engine, which delivers a thrilling 220 horsepower. Each of the engines takes nine months to assemble, in part thanks to the trio of Weber 40DCO3 carburettors that are refurbished and installed by a single technician.
It’s an exciting project to come out of the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Division, with each car taking no less than 3000 hours from start to finish. With such a high level of human intervention required to bring each Jaguar C-Type Edition 70 to life, they arrive at the not insignificant price of £1.5 million (AU$2,689,394), with Jaguar open to enquiries for new builds.
