The redesigned Petersen Museum in L.A. proved an apt location for Jaguar Classic to introduce the prototype XKSS continuation, given that the ‘lost nine’ of the planned 25 XKSSs were originally destined for the U.S. market before being destroyed in the catastrophic fire. Painted in Sherwood Green, the new ‘car zero’ will act as a blueprint for the nine customer continuation cars – each of which adopts a period chassis number and is now sold at a cost in excess of £1m.

A glory of the garage

Using 3D scans of several original XKSSs, Jaguar Classic created a new styling buck around which the bodies of the new cars will be formed using traditional hand-wheeling methods. Other componentry – such as the Dunlop disc brakes and Smiths gauges – have been specially designed to echo the originals, while the wood of the steering wheel and grain of the leather seats is exactly as it would have been in 1957. The attention to detail goes as far as using imperial measurements during construction, rather than the modern metric system.

However, the lack of inherent road-legality means the continuation cars will be confined to private roads and static garage/museum displays – at least until they can gain single type approval in the destination country. Until then, their new owners can pass the time by thinking up more appropriate nicknames for their acquisitions than ‘Green Rat’, which the King of Cool christened the example he famously owned…

Photos: Jaguar Classic