If this Jag was one of only 52 original C-Types, it could have been worth... $2.5 million
Gerald Fenech
The vintage C-Type Jaguar dating from the 1950s, which was involved in an accident during trials for the Malta Classic Car Grand Prix on Saturday, has suffered substantial damages although these have not yet been quantified.
Contacted yesterday, the car’s owner Joseph Said told MaltaToday that the damage is considerable including a smashed bonnet and axle although he refused to go into specifics adding that the incident was given ‘more than enough exposure already’.
The Jaguar C-Type (also called the Jaguar XK120-C) was a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The “C” designation stood for ‘competition’. The car used the running gear of the contemporary XK120 in a lightweight tubular frame and aerodynamic aluminum body. A total of just 52 C-Types were built making the car a hugely sought after item for collectors and motor enthusiasts.
However according to information on this car, it appears that the cost to repair it will not only be substantial but actually quite astronomical. It is unclear whether the car is one of the original 52 which were built in the 1950’s or a copy specifically made to order – in the latter case the cost should be much less.
When new, the car sold for approximately USD 6,000 - approximately twice the price of an XK120. In an article in the June 11, 2003 issue of Autocar magazine (“Slick Cat Jaguar”, p.70) the value of a “genuine, healthy” C-Type is estimated as £400,000, and the value of the 1953 Le Mans winner is circa GBP 2 million while replicas are available from a variety of sources from £40,000. A C-Type once owned and raced by Phil Hill sold at an American auction in August 2009 for USD $2,530,000
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