Winner By Default?... [PIC]

Malcolm Sayer's Jaguar Type D was just a beautiful design evolving from the Type C as another dedicated Le Mans car. Easily recognizable by its vertical stabilizer projecting from the fairing behind the driver's head, this new design was wider and lower as the XK body continued to morph. The C-Type wire wheels were replaced by alloy wheels by 16"X6"  Dunlop alloy with steel centers. The DOHC 3.4 L 6 produced just under 300 HP making it not the most powerful on the track in 1955 but was the quickest accelerating on the straight. Then came the horrific crash that killed 84 people that began when Mike Hawthorn driving this #6 long nose Type D cut off an Austin Healey to head into the pits and the swerving car bumped the speeding Mercedes 300SLR launching it into the stands. Mercedes immediately pulled their entire team from the race and Hawthorn also wanted to retire while officials deliberated on whether to shut down the whole event, but was talked into continuing and ultimately placed first with what I assume was a bitter-sweet victory. With Mercedes' withdrawal from racing, the Type D went on quite a string of victories over the next couple of years. In 1957 the displacement was increased to 3.8 liters and the Type D was still competitive all the way to 1959. One wonders what its success would have been if Mercedes had not abandoned racing for those years.

Model by AUTOart: