1952 Jaguar C-type Ecurie Ecosse

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Larson thinks any one of the three factory lightweights would bring $3–$4 million, and if the Le Mans winner ever comes to market, "It will be very expensive."

All C-types trade in a rarified atmosphere. Few fully documented cars exist, and these seldom change hands in open auction, more usually in the quiet anonymity of private treaty sales agreements.

This C-type offers everything an enthusiast collector could possibly want. No one can glimpse the complex and yet simple curves of the aluminum body—calculated rather than sketched by aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer—without being moved by its sheer beauty.

With its provenance and performance ability, XKC 006 will be sought by organizers of the most desirable vintage car events in the world. But unlike many other marques at this level, it is truly a dual-use car, just as it was in 1952 when Stewart drove it from the Coventry works to its first win in the Jersey Road Race.

So if the new owner chooses to participate in the Le Mans Classic, he and his passenger can expect to drive from Coventry to Le Sarthe, then be competitive the next day.

If instead the car has returned to the United States as rumored, we can only hope that the new owner will join the C-type and D-type enthusiasts who actively use their cars. We've had the privilege of joining this group, which gathers in Arizona every year for a rapid tour of southwestern backroads.

The C-type experience is unique. Cradled in the worn dark green leather that pads the cockpit, grasping the steering wheel that has been polished smooth on thousands of corners, you can hear the car speak its heritage.

The engine's deep-throated energy pulses through the tube-frame chassis, setting the metal panels vibrating at a low frequency. The thin gearshift knob seems almost too small to control the power, but clicks easily into gear; the clutch engages smoothly, and the car seems content to idle quietly through traffic.

But once out "on a dark desert highway," the needle of the rev counter can be wound to the red zone, and each gear takes the car into a new dimension. As the wind whistles through the cockpit and creeps under the goggles, it takes little imagination to visualize Tertre Rouge disappearing behind the car as it howls down the Mulsanne Straight.

The only experience that even comes close is that of driving a D-type sibling. But where the C-type is an open-cockpit, prop-engine fighter, the D-type feels more like a jet, with separate cockpits and the windshield wrapped tightly around the driver's head.

But the driving difference is slight compared to the experience of the passenger in each car. The C-type is as comfortable for the co-driver as any two-seat roadster of the period. But the D-type—purpose-built for racing—forces the passenger to assume a yoga position, cross-legged because the exhaust manifold has stolen the space where the footwell should be. The cramped position and floor heat limit riding time significantly.

The C- and D-type experiences can be duplicated in excellent replicas built around modern Jaguar drivetrains that sell for one-tenth the cost of the real thing. But there is no substitute for the knowledge that the leather of the seats and the wooden wheel have been touched by giants, 1950s drivers who took these cars to victory, and who, in turn, were made great by their achievements.

Those who can afford the initiation fee to become custodians of these beasts have no doubt that every dollar is well spent. In the opinion of former auctioneer Simon Kidston, as the values of similar sports racers like Ferrari 250TRs head for $10 million, the C-type, with its low production, unimpeachable heritage, and street/race capabilities, may be seriously underpriced.

Years Produced: 1950–53

Number Produced: 54

Original List Price: $6,000 (approx.; varied depending on customer spec

SCM Valuation: $1,250,000–$2,000,000 (at time of print)

Tune-up Cost: $900

Distributor Caps: $30 (same as XK 120)

Chassis #:XKC 006

Chassis # Location: right front shock tower and on center of chassis rail behind radiator

Engine # Location: valley of head in front; also by oil filter housing

Club Info: C and D-type Register, terrylarsonjaguar@msn.com

Web Site: http://www.jcna.com

Alternatives: 1951–53 Ferrari 340/342 America, 1953–55 Jaguar D-type, 1953–56 Aston Martin DB3S

Investment Grade: A

Provided by Sports Car Market—The Insider's Guide to Collecting, Investing, Values and Trends