Sometimes lost in the fascination that rightly surrounds the D- and E-Types, the C-Type is no less significant in the Jaguar sports car back catalogue. Let's not forget that this was the car Dunlop developed disc brakes on, the first car to be honed in a wind tunnel and the first to use fuel tank bags - this wasn't just any old 50s' race car. Success undoubtedly helped its cause, too, with one team in particular: Ecurie Ecosse. With seven separate C-Type chassis the Scottish outfit took 59 podium places, which is some record. And now the Ecurie Ecosse C-Type is back.
Described as sister cars to the seven prized originals, Ecurie Ecosse says it is "paying homage" to those C-Types with its latest production run. As in the 1950s, these will be handbuilt in Coventry and tuned by Ecurie Ecosse technicians; power will come, of course, from the XK straight-six, here with capacity increased to 4.2 litres for 300hp and 280lb ft.
By and large though, the C-Type is a faithful reimagination of the original, with a steel spaceframe chassis cloaked in a thin-gauge aluminium body for a 998kg kerbweight. Both suspension and brakes have been upgraded to deal with the additional performance, however, alongside a five-speed gearbox in place of the original four-speed "to maximise acceleration and top speed." All of which sound like eminently sensible upgrades.
There aren't any interior images yet, though Ecurie Ecosse describes it as "breathtaking", featuring aluminium bucket seats upholstered in Crest leather and with Tag Heuer stopwatches on the dashboard. Furthermore, although the first car has been completed and is available for viewing at Hofmann's in Henley-on-Thames, there aren't yet any prices. Although given the Proteus C-Type also sold out of Hofmann's will cost you £200k, it's fair to expect a premium over that. Still, has to be less than an original - chassis XKC 052, campaigned by Ecurie Ecosse in 1954, sold for $13.2m in 2015...
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