As classic an automobile that the Jaguar E Type was in the 1960s and 70s, it never could have come about without the factory built D Type race cars of the 1950s. If you missed out on the opportunity to own and experience this classic vertical finned racer with its pronounced round fenders well this might just be what you have been waiting for. That is because the auction house Gooding & Company is putting a classic 1956 Jaguar D Type up for auction on January 23rd, 2010. Besides the English automotive icon, Gooding will also auction off a rare Pininfarina 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Series I Cabriolet, a beautifully appointed 1956 Maserati A6G/54 Berlinetta, Hollywood’s 1934 Hispano-Suiza J-12 T68 Cabriolet as well as a top performing 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750.

The 1956 Jaguar D Type is powered by a 3.8 Liter straight six cylinder power plant that is capable of producing an estimated 300 HP, quite a feat for the 1950s. The quite large inline engine is mated to a four speed manual transmission because that is what they had back then. The car begun its racing career in 1956 competing in California and enjoyed continued success at tracks such as Santa Barbara, Bakersfield, Palm Springs, Riverside, Paramount Ranch and Pomona. Making the D Type even more of a collector’s item is that over the car’s entire production run, only 87 units were ever made, and after a bit of wheel banging action there are most certainly less than that left in the world.

Press release after the jump.

Gooding & Company puts a Jaguar D Type race car up for auction originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 13 November 2009 13:00 EST.

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The Jaguar D-type, like its predecessor, is a factory-built race car. It was essentially an up-rated C-type with a more powerful engine plus an improved chassis and more aerodynamic body.

Jaguar D-Type originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 29 November 2005 15:14 EST.

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