Days Of Thunder

We Join Five Historically Important D-types for a Once-in-a-lifetime, Two-day Tour to Celebrate Jaguar's Success at Le Mans in 1957

- Paul Walton

With the road clear and the sun shining brightly, the five cars ahead of me accelerate hard and in perfect unison. Their increased speed results in a loud but glorious roar that pierces the peace and quiet like a fighter jet. The way the sic decade-old quintet quickly picks up speed belies their age, but this is a small but clear sign of their pedigree – as is their slippery shape and enormous rear fins. These aren’t just any classic cars, but five historically important D-types, three of which took the top three places at Le Mans in 1957. Marking the 60th anniversary of Jaguar’s incredible achievement at the French circuit, the five racing cars have escaped the museums and been let loose on the open road for a once-in-a-lifetime tour of the UK. And we are there to witness every mile of this historic event.

The idea for the tour came from Clive Beechum, owner of XKD 603, which finished second at Le Mans in 1957. “I thought it was important to celebrate Jaguar’s success in the 1957 race since it’s one of Great Britain’s finest achievements in motorsport,” he told me.

Jaguar didn’t just win at Le Mans in 1957, it dominated it. D-types took five of the top six places, fifth going to a Ferrari 315 S, although, somewhat ironically, with Jaguar pulling out of motorsport the year before the success was in the hands of privateers. The most famous of these was the Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse, which finished first and second, while a French team, Equipe Los Amigos, came home third. Ecurie Nationale Belge was fourth and Jaguar stalwart Duncan Hamilton’s private entry was sixth.