Jaguar D-Type. The Story of XKD526, Hardback

Description

The Jaguar D-type helped to establish the Coventry marque's place in Le Mans 24 Hours folklore, thanks to three successive victories between 1955 and 1957. With its long, elegantly sculptured bonnet and distinctive tail fin, the D-type quickly became one of the world's most recognizable sports racers - as well as one of the most successful in period.

Jaguar D-type focuses on the fascinating history of XKD 526, one of only three D-types registered new in Australia. While its competition pedigree was forged at some internationally celebrated circuits - Bathurst and Longford, for instance - it also raced at delightfully named bygones such as Gnoo Blas and Catalina Park. This is a comprehensive history of its distinguished track record.

John Elmgreen, born in Australia in 1948, has been a Jaguar XK enthusiast since his university days where he bought his first Jaguar, XK120 DHC, to restore. In the early 1970s, he started collecting information on XKs throughout Australia, before leaving for England in 1975, where he lived in London for six years. In 1980, having taken his XK120 to see the Le Mans 24 hour race, he decided with Terry McGrath from Perth to turn their collective efforts into a book. The Jaguar XK in Australia appeared in 1985. As the internet made its mark, he expanded his collection of historical XK information to the histories of every XK ever made (all 30,000 of them). John's interests do not just include the XKs. He also has a keen interest in cricket, wine and music. In his spare time, he even plays in two bands in the Sydney area.