Jaguar D-Type by Realm Engineering – for sale

This D-Type replica is a RAM by Realm Engineering who are well respected in Jaguar circles for their top-quality replicas and the chassis was designed by Adrian Reynard of Reynard Motorsport. The donor car was a 1970 Daimler Saloon and as such the V5 shows the car being registered as a "Daimler D-Type" and is tax-exempt as it is a "Historic Vehicle".

This D-Type has been built to an incredibly high specification and is a very competitive track/race car whilst remaining road-legal and MOT'd. Much of the mechanical underpinnings are Jaguar XK6 based including the front suspension. The 4.2-litre XK engine, a strengthened ex-military unit, has been rebuilt at a cost of over £65k to a racing specification. It has a custom-made billet crank which combined with an overbore takes the engine the 4.7 litres. The engine also has WiseCo forged pistons, Carillo con-rods, a straight port cylinder head, triple Weber carburettors, racing camshafts and electronic ignition, and has been dyno'd at over 320 bhp. The suspension has fully adjustable coil over shock absorbers on all four corners and has been analysed and set up by GSD Racedyn with a full report included in the cars file. The car also benefits from a five-speed gearbox, racing clutch, four pot aluminium brake calipers, brake bias adjuster, alternator, electric cooling fan, fire extinguisher system, race harnesses and much more.

Beyond the mechanical specification, this D-Type is well appointed for the aspiring track day, sprint, hill climb or race driver being fitted with a rev limiter, change lights and oil pressure warning light. In addition to these, the car has a digital lap timer and, best of all for those looking to learn and improve their lap times, an onboard camera system (Racekeeper).

The car looks stunning in its British Racing Green and Yellow livery running on period Dunlop wheels. The interior has been trimmed to a very high standard with green carpet and leather and the aluminium dashboard finished the cockpit off perfectly. Visually this D-Type really delivers both in terms of the build quality, the finishes and how well it has been cared for.

Being a track car, this D-Type has competed extensively in historic motorsport events and comes with an extensive file detailing its exploits. Over the years it has graced the tracks at Goodwood, Brands Hatch, Silverstone, Snetterton, Oulton Park and more. The previous owner started out using the D-Type for track days but soon got the bug and entered the car into the JECs (Jaguar Enthusiast Club) "Powered by Jaguar" race series. From there he graduated onto the SRGT (Sports, Racing and GT) Challenge which has since merged with Bernie's V8s to become the Bernie's Sports, Racing and V8s championship. These race series have classes based on the power-to-weight ratio. The car performed well over the years with many class wins and an overall win at Malory Park in the wet. Outside of racing this D-Type has also competed in various sprint events and is ideally suited to sprints and hill climbs.

On the road, this is a truly extraordinary machine. Despite its high state of tune, the engine starts up with relative ease and soon settles to a steady idle once warm. The engine provides a huge amount of low-down torque making acceleration swift and reaching 60 miles per hour on the public highway takes no time at all. The five-speed gearbox gives the car long enough legs that cruising at motorway speeds will never be an issue and the gear change is swift and efficient without a loss of feeling or being overly smooth. The handling is razor-sharp and the car is extremely responsive. More than anything else the sense of feedback and connection to the tarmac makes this D-Type both a joy to drive and an extremely competitive track car.

This stunningly presented D-Type is wonderful to drive and to look at. It could be used as a very competitive car on track and/or enjoyed out on the open road. This D-Type offers superb value for money at a fraction of what it would cost to build a car to this specification.

£54,750