The Jaguar C-Type, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1953, will lead a whole horde of attractive and rare fifties cars at the Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace on August 30 to September 1, 2024.
Chassis XKC 051 achieved an average speed of 105.87 miles per hour at Le Mans in 1953, making it the first car to exceed 100 miles over the entire event.
The in-line six-cylinder engine produced around 220 hp and had little trouble with the "featherweight" C-Type (thanks to the thinner aluminum skin). The car was driven at Le Mans by Tony Rolt and Duncan Hamilton.
The C-Type is seconded by a 1956 D-Type that once passed through the hands of Bernie Ecclestone. What is striking about XKD518 is the red color, only three were painted in this color.
Only two examples of the Lagondas DP115 were built in 1954; they were the attempt of the new Lagonda owner David Brown to break the dominance of the Ferraris. A 4.5-liter V12 with 280 hp was developed for this purpose and installed in an adapted DB3S chassis.
The package was not lacking in power, but rather in balance and handling qualities. As a result, one of the cars retired from Le Mans in third place when it went off the track.
The two DP115s built at the time are to be reunited at the Hampton Court Palace Concours.
The already unique collection of legendary 1950s racing cars is complemented by a Ferrari Monza 250 Sport Barchetta from 1954 (chassis 0442M) and a Ferrari Dino 196 S Spider from 1959 (chassis 0776).
But these are just a handful of reasons to travel to the Concours of Elegance Hampton Court Palace in London at the end of August. After all, 60 more Concours cars are expected and the ambience of the stately grounds is sure to impress.
Further information can be found on the Concours website.
