Jaguar’s most prolific vehicles are imbued with a race-tested pedigree, and amidst the company’s timeless offerings, the D-Type remains one of its most important. As the quintessential mid-century track car, its had its name etched into the annals of automotive history — and now, one of the model’s superbly-kept examples has been listed for auction via RM Sotheby’s.
As the seventh customer D-Type ever built, the 1955 Jaguar D-Type you see here belonged to four-time Australian Drivers’ Championship winner Bib Stillwell, calling upon the car’s illustrious powerplant and aerodynamic design to secure various local records, including notable finishes at the Bathurst 500 and Rob Roy Hill Climb. After winning an outright victory for the South Australia Trophy in Port Wakefield, the car was briefly prepared to take on the land-speed record, before being relinquished to its original calling, and winning the Bathurst Road Racing Championship in 1956. After years of use under Stillwell, the car was sold to the Australian Motorists Petrol Company, where it would race for a short time before falling victim to an accident. Subsequently, the car would be rebuilt by its next owner, Frank Gardner. After trading hands numerous times, the D-Type would fall into the care of its current owner, who still retains extensive documentation and an FIA Historic Technical Passport to outline its expansive history. Now, one of automotive manufacturing’s earliest and most original examples is slated for auction via RM Sotheby’s, where it’s expected to accrue over $6,537,996.
