The Jaguar XKSS is based on legendary D-Type that has won numerous races. In 1956, at the peak of D-Type racing, Jaguar decided to move away from racing and focus more on production cars. Because of this decision, 25 D-Types were now without buyers. The decision was made to convert the D-Types to a road legal machine, called the XKSS. The chassis for this vehicle was made out of Reynolds 513 alloy, the same metal used for the creation of the Spitfire during World War II. Converting the car from the D-Type required an addition of a conventional windshield, a folding hood, a passenger-side door, complete instrumentation, plusher seating, a luggage rack, bumpers, directional signals and a few other details. The power provided for the car came from the same 3.4 liter I6 engine used in the D-Type which produced 250 horsepower fed by a trio of Weber 45DCO3 carburetors.
In 1957, the car had impressive stats, going from 0 to 60 in just 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 149 horsepower. It went from 0 to 100 in 13.6 seconds and a quarter mile in 13.9 seconds.
During conversion process of the XKSS, a fire broke out and destroyed 9 of the 25 cars. During the initial run of conversions, only 16 cars were made. In 2016, Jaguar decided to complete the remaining 9 cars.
