Monterey 2010: Pebble gathers a dozen Jaguar XK-SS roadsters for Jag's 75th

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Performance, Jaguar

Jaguar XK-SS Gathering at Pebble Beach - Click above for high-res image gallery

Okay, full disclosure - We have to tell you that we have a conflict of interest on this one. The Jaguar XK-SS is one of this author's top ten sports car designs of all time. This partially-civilized, D-Type-derived, semi-comp car is just plain awesome. Seeing one of them at a museum or event is like glimpsing the Pietà as you enter the Vatican - Its beauty can overwhelm you if you're not prepared to see it. Imagine our delight, then, when we learned that the organizers of the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance had put together a small gathering of XK-SS roadsters to celebrate Jaguar's 75th birthday. It's their birthday, and we get the presents.

Just 25 of these incredible machines were built during their short run - a tragic fire at the factory took nine of them and halted development of not just the XK-SS, but of the D-Type as a whole. Try as they might, the Pebble Beach folks simply couldn't get all 16 of the survivors together for this occasion...but how does a full dozen sound? Any event that has one SS in the field is pretty remarkable in our books. Having more than one is almost unheard of. Having a dozen on hand, all in one place at one time... in an almost perfect line on the Pebble Beach golf links with nothing behind them but the course and bay? Sublime.

Why does the XK-SS draw such admiration? Well, all you need do is look at it and you have your answer, but there is much more to the story. When Jaguar withdrew from racing at the end of 1955, they had a few spare D-Type chassis on hand. They also had something of a budget crisis at the time. Why not make a few changes for road use and offer the unfinished cars to the public? Jaguar added an extra seat, another door, a full-width windshield, luggage rack and folding top and the SS was born. It weighed but 2,000 pounds and had the D-Type's 250-horsepower 3.4-liter straight-six under its shapely bonnet. It only weighed about 100 pounds more than the full-on racer and was sold at a 30 percent discount over the D.

Doesn't that strike you as something of a bargain for a wild, hairy beast for the street? Steve McQueen thought so. In fact, the legendary actor and racer owned the same example twice. After buying one new, he had the interior customized by artist Von Dutch. He later sold the car but missed it so much that he bought it back a few years later. He had the car in his collection until the day he died. It's now in the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles, but was in Pebble Beach for the Concours on Sunday...along with eleven of its friends. Check out our stunning gallery of high-res images below.

Gallery: Jaguar XK-SS Gathering at Pebble Beach

Monterey 2010: Pebble gathers a dozen Jaguar XK-SS roadsters for Jag's 75th originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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25th Annual Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Misc. Auto Shows, Ferrari

Click for high-res gallery from the Newport Beach Concours

As part of its silver anniversary, this year's Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance gathered together a selection of former Best of Show winners as its featured marque. That meant visitors were greeted by a Jaguar XK-SS and SS-100, a mauve Gullwing Mercedes, a Maserati A6 GS (above), an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, a unique ostrich-skin interior Delahaye 135, and a beautiful black and orange Duesenberg SJ Boattail Speedster. A pretty good start to a day of classic car nirvana. Although this is a much less prestigious show than Pebble Beach, Meadowbrook, Amelia Island or Villa d'Este, the quality of cars in Southern California means the cars themselves are still first tier.

Some of the most beautiful and significant vehicles from every era come from the most exclusive collections around. Representatives from The Petersen, The Nethercutt Collection, the William Lyon Estate, and the Marconi Museum were on display, enticing spectators to dig into their pockets to raise money for charity. Although still referred to as the Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance because of its original home, this event has changed venues several times before ending up at Strawberry Farms Golf Club a few of years ago. With the cars parked in the natural bowl of the driving range, it is an intimate and manageable show.

Follow the jump for the rest of the story and some additional photos. And don't forget to check out the gallery to see all 60 desktop wallpaper-quality photos in high-res.

Gallery: 25th Annual Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance

Continue reading 25th Annual Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance

25th Annual Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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