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Born to succeed the famous Jaguar C-Type’s dominance at Le Mans in the 1950s, the D-Type had purposeful
and beautiful looks, pioneering engineering and outright fire power. In its day, no-one had seen anything like
the revolutionary curved body penned by Malcolm Sayer. Not only a thing of beauty, it also was the first to
incorporate a unique monocoque construction, combining the body and frame to form structural integrity. Its
3.4-litre engine was rated at 245bhp, propelling the car to a blistering 169 mph at Le Mans during testing.
The immensely significant Jaguar D-Type on offer, chassis no. XKD 501, was sold new to Ecurie Ecosse and
dispatched on May 5, 1955; it was easily identified as part of the famed Scottish racing team’s stable by its
signature Scottish Flag Metallic Blue livery with the St. Andrews cross emblazoned on the front fenders, a
guise it continues to wear to this day. Designed to excel in the crucible of motorsport, the car’s greatest
performance was registered at the famed 1956 Le Mans 24 Hours, where, piloted by Ninian Sanderson and
Ron Flockhart, it competed alongside three factory longnose cars. By the race’s final lap, only 14 entries
remained in the field with the Ecurie Ecosse D-Type going on to claim a comfortable victory, having averaged
104 mph for over 2,500 miles. The car later went on to race at Goodwood, Aintree and the 1957 Mille Miglia,
prior to being retired from competition in June that year.
Since retirement, XKD 501 has been in the custodianship of just three private owners and has been
meticulously maintained. A part of one of America’s most respected collections since 1999, it has been
featured at many of the world’s leading concours events, including the 2002 Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance, where it won the Jaguar Competition class and the Road & Track award. It returns to the
Monterey Peninsula in August – this time to the auction stage – where it is set to comfortably eclipse the
current record for a British automobile sold at auction. A vehicle notable for not only its incredible history and
rarity, but also its beautifully authentic presentation, its offering presents an exclusive opportunity to not only
acquire the most important Jaguar racing car ever made, but an incredible piece of Le Mans heritage.
“XKD 501 is without question one of the world’s most significant competition cars,” comments Shelby Myers,
Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s. “It has an incredible racing pedigree, having won the most grueling contest in
sports car racing, the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, and importantly, is without any stories. What’s more is its
amazing originality; pure in terms of body, chassis and engine, there is no other Le Mans winner from this
period that is as original as this car. We are extremely honored to have been entrusted with XKD 501 by its
important caretaker for our Monterey sale; it’s a decision that again reaffirms RM as the auction house of
choice for the sale of the world’s most important automobiles.”
Another important competition car with Le Mans history and slated for RM Monterey is the 1962 Ferrari 268
SP, chassis no. 0798. Like the D-Type, this Ferrari 268 SP has an enviable and well-documented racing
pedigree.
Chassis no. 0798 claims extreme rarity in the Ferrari lineage; it is the third of just six 268 SP examples
originally produced, of which only five remain, and one of only two originally fitted with the outstanding 2.6-liter
eight-cylinder engine. It is further differentiated from its peers by its unique shark nose along with its cut down
windscreen and lowered tail which make for a sleek profile. The car was integral to Ferrari’s testing at Le
Mans in 1962, being the factory racing and development car and subsequent Works entry at the 24 Hours of
Le Mans that same year. It was later sold to North American Racing Team (NART) owner, Luigi Chinetti, who
campaigned it under the NART banner from late–1962 through 1963, including at such events as Bahamas
Speed Week, Sebring and the Canadian Grand Prix.
After passing through the hands of various noted collectors, 0798 eventually found its way into Pierre
Bardinon’s esteemed Mas du Clos Collection in 1969, where it remained for the next 27 years. Its current
gentleman owner has fastidiously maintained the car for nearly two decades, during which time it has been
displayed at select major events around the world, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Ferrari Days at
Spa-Francorchamps, the Cavallino Classic and the Ferrari 60th Anniversary Concours. An exceptional
matching-numbers car, it comes to auction with the all-important Ferrari Classiche certification (Estimate
available upon request).
“The Ferrari 268 SP is a groundbreaking automobile in every regard,” states Gord Duff, Car Specialist, RM
Sotheby’s. “Not only was it rare to start with, but only five examples remain in existence. Its dramatic
Fantuzzi spider coachwork represented a complete departure from prior Maranello coachwork and included
design cues that became instrumental to seminal Ferrari racers such as the 250 P and 330 P, and even
influenced Scaglietti-built berlinettas such as the 250 LM. All this, combined with an exceptional provenance,
make it one of the finest and most desirable 1960s Ferrari sports-racers to be offered in many years.”
A tradition spanning more than 30 years, RM Sotheby’s annual Monterey auction, held during the Pebble
Beach Concours d’Elegance week, returns to the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center,
August 19-20.
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