If you’re an auction house that wants to keep its cars safe ahead of sale, it might not be the best idea to hire one of the world’s best-known gearheads to do it. On the other hand, it makes for great viewing. Night guard Chris Harris abandons his post to take a delightful Jaguar XKSS for a late-night drive in a charming video, and it’s a cheerful way of advertising an upcoming listing.
Jaguar
Jaguar is a premium car manufacturer from the UK, currently owned by the broader Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) group. Originally a producer of motorcycle sidecars from 1922 (under the name Swallow Sidecar Company), the manufacturer later moved to the production of passenger car bodies under the ownership of SS Cars from 1935. In 1945, SS Cars was renamed to Jaguar Cars. The manufacturer has a historic back catalog of vehicles, notably the XK, E-Type, and XJ220, with modern hits including the F-Type and F-Pace. Jaguar has pledged to become an all-electric automaker starting in 2025, with production of all combustion cars ceasing early in 2024.
- Founded
- September 1935
- Founder
- SS Cars
- Headquarters
- Coventry, United Kingdom
- Owned By
- Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
- Current CEO
- Adrian Mardell
Who could even blame him? Staring at a monitor full of boring camera views at the HQ of RM Sotheby’s auctions, just knowing that the keys for the roadgoing race car from 1957 are just sitting there, we’d also consider creating some amusement. The car, one of just 16 ever built, was just waiting in a dark basement. All alone, cold, and driverless. Sad, really, much like the current Jaguar lineup, which has been reduced to just the soon-to-be-discontinued F-Pace before an all-new range of EVs arrives in 2026.
Harris Does The Right Thing, Takes Jag For A Spin
This looks like it was a lot of fun to film, especially since opportunities to get behind the wheel of something this rare are scarce, even for someone as well-connected as Harris. The sale has actually already been and gone, it was November 1-2, but Harris posted the video to his YouTube account just a couple of days ago.
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Harris heads down to the basement and does what only he can. Takes the classic Jag for a rip around a dark and deserted London. Cobblestones, squealing tires, and flames from the tailpipe? Par for the course on a slow night shift.
What About The Car?
More than just an ad for the sale, it was an ad for the car. The XKSS was the Jaguar D-Type racing car made for road use. The company built just 16 at the time. Nine more were planned, but a fire destroyed them before completion. Despite that interruption, Jaguar eventually finished the series in 2016, replacing those nine destroyed cars.
This one has seen some factory upgrades over the years, including having its 3.4-liter engine upgraded to 3.8 liters for more power in 1960. Despite that, it still has all of its original numbers-matching components.
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The car was actually raced in the 1960s, following a long trip to Australia and new owners. The current owner has had the car since 2017, and has reportedly kept it in top shape.
Since this is an old ad, we already know the results of the sale. It was expected to top £14m ($17.7m), but it failed to sell at £8m ($10m). Maybe Harris will get another shot at it before the next time it hits the block.
