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| Details/Specifications of the 1957 Jaguar XKSS Replica I have always been in love with the mid 80’s Jaguar XJ series as the sheer beauty of this car was in my opinion second to none. In Oct 1998, I acquired a 1986 Jaguar XJ Series III and spent the time and money to rebuild the car to “ driven class” show quality and drove it as my primary vehicle for several years. While the vehicle was indeed beautiful, the engineering and Lucas wiring made it prone to a high degree of maintenance required on my part and expensive to operate. In the end, I often focused on what I would do differently should I do it all over again or should I tackle another build or restoration project. In the fall of 1999, I came across the story of the Jaguar XKSS and was fascinated with the vehicle and overwhelmed with it’s unique rarity status and overall sleekness and beauty. I learned that there were only 16 original cars in existence but that several companies/individuals had made a small number of replicas to satisfy the demand for this vehicle. Through research, I discovered the total number of XKSS’s originals and replicas was under 100 vehicles world wide. If I was going to build a sport car, this is the one I wanted to tackle! I acquired a fiberglass mold taken off of one of the original Xkss’s along with a Renard tubular steel racing frame from a company in England. My goal was to build the highest quality reproduction possible staying as close to the original spirit of the car but upgrading select parts and components for performance/reliability/modernization purposes as deemed necessary. I selected Texas Restomods, a top notch restoration company to build the car as when it comes to restorations, fabrications and performance engineering, Texas Restomods in my opinion is second to none. The body and frame arrived from England in Feb 2001 and this began the arduous 4 year process of building the car from the ground up, fabricating and engineering each piece and component to the highest standards and cutting no corners in the process. We photographed and recorded the entire build process from start to finish and completed the project in Jan 2005. Photos of the build process can be seen at http://web.mac.com/trm1139/TRM/Showcase/Pages/1957_XKSS_Jag.html 1957 Jaguar XKSS ( Replica ) Specs: Body- Fiberglass Replica Molded From Original XKSS - Hand Fabricated Aluminum Windshield Frame -Hand Fabricated Side Windows And Window Frames Chassis - Tubular Steel made By Renard Chassis in England Suspension -1970 ’ s Jaguar Front End Rear Suspension Adjustable Coil Over Shocks Front And Rear Brakes 11 Inch Front End Rear Brake Rotors - 4 Piston Front Calipers, -2 Piston Rear Calipers Wheels - Alloy Replica ’s Of Originals Engine – 4.2 Liter Inline 6 Cylinder Dual Overhead Cam Transmission - 5 Speed Syncro Mesh - Modern Transmission Electrical System- Modern New Harness---Non Lucas Carburetion -3 - 45mm DCOE Webbers Starter Motor - Modern High Torque Gear Reduction Instruments -Original Smith ’s Gauges A Retrospective: Based on a variety of circumstances and with a saddened heart, it is now time to sell this unique vehicle and move on to other ventures. Looking back over the process, I achieved my goal and delivered on my dream of building an XKSS from the ground up. I am very proud of the car that we built, and whomever ends up owning this vehicle, will be taking possession of a car that was built to the highest standards and built by passion and a commitment to excellence. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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custom build and NOT a kit car!|
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