Jaguar
XKSS

Why it matters

The XKSS turned unsold Le Mans-winning D-types into road cars and is often described as one of the first true supercars. A factory fire in February 1957 destroyed nine of the cars, leaving only 16 originals, which makes it one of Jaguar's rarest road models.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• Jaguar XKSS (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Jaguar XKSS (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• Jaguar XKSS (Wikimedia Commons search)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

With 25 D-types still unsold in late 1956, Jaguar converted them into road-legal sports cars and named the result XKSS. In February 1957 a fire at the Browns Lane factory reached the dispatch area where the cars were kept; staff saved sixteen chassis and nine were lost. Around sixty years later Jaguar built continuation cars using the nine lost chassis numbers.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The XKSS differs from the D-type by a full-width chrome-framed windscreen, an added passenger-side door, chromed front and rear bumpers and a simple folding fabric roof. Original cars carry an XKSS chassis stamp, and on at least one documented car the earlier XKD number was ground off the front shock-absorber mount when it was converted. Only the 16 cars saved from the 1957 fire are originals; later Jaguar continuation cars use the nine lost chassis numbers.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   1957 Jaguar XKSS Level B Ultimatecarpage.com

   • Numbers built: 16

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   Flameproof: The Origin of the XKSS | RM Sotheby's Level B

   • 16 XKSS chassis saved from the fire (9 lost)

   Accessed 2026-11-11
3. 3
   Jaguar XKSS Level B Jaguar Enthusiasts Club

   • 3.4 L XK6 I6
   • 250 hp
   • 4-speed manual

   Accessed 2026-11-11