Photo: Historics Auctioneers
If cars really are an extension of the soul of the people who drive them, what do you think a 1954 Jaguar D-Type would have to say? How about the 'buck' it was built on? Would it tell tales of chisel-jawed men with cajones several times what the average lad has to work with today?
Or maybe it'd tell tales of tremendously exciting racing. In a time before anti-lock brakes, traction control, and computer aid of any kind, professional auto races tended to get a bit crazy back in the day. Nothing like the quasi-coordinated racing you get in modern Indycar or Formula One. In any case, all that consists of this 1954 D-Type Jag "buck." It is one of the original "bucks" that was used in the manufacturing of the Long Nose Jaguar D-Types in the 1950s.
Designed for the explicit purpose of upstaging the French, Germans, and Italians at the 24 Hours of LeMans race, the D-Type, powered by a straight-six XK engine and sharing many mechanical components with its C-Type predecessor, won it all in 1955, '56, and '57. If and when these cars sustained body damage, this buck ensured body shop workers could restore and repair it properly in the days before AutoCAD software.
In the time before the LeMans track's historic Mulsanne straight had a chicane added to comply with FIA rules, the D-Type was an absolute animal on the straightaways. When you look at the fascinating wooden construction for the D-Type actual car, you can start to see how the car hardly had any weight at all to lug around. Though this buck is wooden and the race car is made of metal, the resemblance is still uncanny.
A palpable lack of safety gear apart from a dinky little helmet no doubt played a role in this as well. In the near future, this buck will be used as a template by which the real things can be restored with a satisfactory resemblance to the original hardware. With an estimated auction price between £70,000 and £90,000 ($83,148 and $106,904), it's a stunning piece of racing history. And a helping hand for those who want to fix their Jaguar D-Type when it gets damaged in some vintage car racing event.
Designed for the explicit purpose of upstaging the French, Germans, and Italians at the 24 Hours of LeMans race, the D-Type, powered by a straight-six XK engine and sharing many mechanical components with its C-Type predecessor, won it all in 1955, '56, and '57. If and when these cars sustained body damage, this buck ensured body shop workers could restore and repair it properly in the days before AutoCAD software.
In the time before the LeMans track's historic Mulsanne straight had a chicane added to comply with FIA rules, the D-Type was an absolute animal on the straightaways. When you look at the fascinating wooden construction for the D-Type actual car, you can start to see how the car hardly had any weight at all to lug around. Though this buck is wooden and the race car is made of metal, the resemblance is still uncanny.
A palpable lack of safety gear apart from a dinky little helmet no doubt played a role in this as well. In the near future, this buck will be used as a template by which the real things can be restored with a satisfactory resemblance to the original hardware. With an estimated auction price between £70,000 and £90,000 ($83,148 and $106,904), it's a stunning piece of racing history. And a helping hand for those who want to fix their Jaguar D-Type when it gets damaged in some vintage car racing event.
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