Pretty majestic isn’t it? It’s expensive too, in fact this very car set a new auction record when it went under the hammer last week at the RM Sotheby’s auction that took place in Monterey, USA. This Jaguar D-Type XKD 501 sold for £16.65million, meaning it has now become the most expensive British car to be sold at auction, beating the previous record set by the Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato. It was also the most expensive car that RM Sotheby’s auctioned last week as well despite falling short of it the upper end of its estimate.
Why is it so special?
This car won the 24 hour Le Mans race in 1956 where it was under the stewardship of Scottish racing team Ecurie Ecosse with drivers Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson behind the wheel. After its racing exploits it was owned by three private owners and remains in a similar condition to when the Scottish racing team sold it.
The Le Mans winning D-Type is powered by a 3.4 litre inline six-cylinder engine which produces 250bhp which is not enough to challenge some hot hatches but it was more than enough to win one of the toughest motor races going. Other specifications include four-speed manual gearbox, independent front suspension and front and rear disc brakes.
RM Sotheby’s sells another record-breaking legend
The D-Type wasn’t the only legend sold at the auction though – the first ever AC Cobra, a car that belonged to the late Carroll Shelby also went under the hammer, selling for $13.8million (around £10.5million). The D-Type may have been the most expensive British car to sell but that’s not to say the Cobra missed out on the action – thanks to its high price the Cobra was able to bag the title of most expensive American car sold at auction.
