2008-10-18 01:13:05 | Anonymous writes:

Article on the JCNA website featuring 007:

www.jcna.com/library/news/2002/jcna0097.html

2009-08-17 08:01:41 | pauls writes:

9/17/09 car offered at:
www.rmauctions.com

Auction description:
Jaguar C-Type
RM Auctions - Sports & Classics of Monterey Aug 13 - 15 2009

colour Green
drive RHD
type Cabrio / Roadster
year 1952
Chassis No. XKC 007
price P.O.R.
VAT No
country USA
RM Auctions: Sports & Classics of Monterey

AUCTION LOCATION
Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center
2 Portola Plaza
Monterey, California 93940

210 bhp, 3,442 cc double overhead camshaft inline six-cylinder engine with two SU carburetors, four-speed manual transmission, independent front suspension with upper and lower wishbones, torsion bars and hydraulic dampers, live rear axle with trailing arms, ‘double-action’ torsion bar and torque reaction member and hydraulic dampers four-wheel Lockhead hydraulic drum brakes. Wheelbase: 96"

XKC-007
The C-Type Jaguar presented here, chassis number XKC-007, was delivered to New York on August 1, 1952 and then on to its first owner, Charles Hornburg, Jaguar’s West Coast dealer based in Beverly Hills. Hornburg had convinced William Lyons that competing in America would increase sales and XKC-007 was the very first C-Type to arrive in the US. The car was driven straight to Elkhart Lake for the last ever street race on the 6.5 mile Wisconsin circuit on September 6th and 7th. Chuck Hornburg had hired Phil Hill to race XKC-007 with George Weaver driving a second C-Type, XKC-009.

The Sheldon Cup proved to be a fantastically close race with Phil Hill dicing with Phil Walters’ Ferrari throughout the race. Hill took the victory after fifteen laps with an average speed of 98.5 mph; Walters was second and George Weaver third. It was the first victory for a C-Type in North America.

In the 201.5 mile Elkhart Lake Cup, Hill was chasing the two C2 Cunninghams when a holed exhaust started filling the cockpit with fumes. Road and Track reported that Phil Hill had passed Briggs Cunningham “…and was chasing the second place car of Fitch when the Jaguar burned a hole in its muffler, letting exhaust gases into the cockpit. Hill was nearly overcome by the fumes before he realized what the trouble was. Thereafter, he drove with his head hanging over the side – more or less cruising to the finish.” Hill finished fourth.

Phil Hill recalled the arrival of XKC-007 in America. “It was a big moment. These cars were not just a replacement for the XK 120. People expected these cars to be a darn sight better than the 120 had ever been.

The 120 was ‘gee whiz’ in’49 and still ‘gee whiz’ in ’50 but by ’51 they were passé – they were still very much envied as transportation but not taken very seriously as race cars. I was just in awe of the C-Type when I first stepped into it. When I look back on it now, it makes me smile. The steering was light – almost scary light. It was the first car I ever drove that had a really precise feel about it – it really felt like a racing car.”

Phil Hill, who was just twenty-five years old, would go on to win the Formula 1 World Championship for Ferrari in 1961. He raced XKC-007 for the remainder of the 1952 season. At the Auto Road Races at Watkins Glen, John Fitch won the Seneca Cup race driving XKC-009, not XKC 007 as had been reported earlier. Phil Hill drove the car in the main event but sadly the race was abruptly ended after the second lap following a fatal accident involving another car and a spectator. At Madera Airport in California Phil Hill finished 2nd overall in this car and in December took outright victory in the Torrey Pines Road Races.

Hill remembered driving XKC-007 back to Beverly Hills after Watkins Glen with photographer Jerry Chesebrough. “We drove long hours. The car had a 4.27 rear end and the engine just beat its brains out. We ran on the Dunlop racing tyres, and there was no muffler or top on the car. We finally stopped in Loudenville, Ohio, to fit a wind deflector on Jerry’s side.

We dropped down from Chicago on Route 66 and by the time we got into Alberquerque I was sick enough to have to see a doctor. I don’t know what it was – I was just feverish – so this doctor told me I’d have to stay in that night. The next morning I flew back and left Jerry with the car.

Almost immediately after I got into LA I had to go south to Mexico to practice for the Mexican Road Race and then half way through that had to take a detour and catch a bus back up to California to race the C-Jag at Madera.”

The next owner of XKC-007 was Carlyle Blackwell, Jr. A film actor from Hollywood Blackwell’s Father, Carlyle, Sr. was a famous silent movie star who appeared in more than 180 films and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Blackwell campaigned the car in 1956 and 57 racing at Paramount Raceway, Santa Barbara, Bakersfield and Pomona.

In his first recorded race, Blackwell entered a series of races in California, as noted in the accompanying table:

Paramount, CA Raceway, March 10, 1956 - 7th place
Santa Barbara, CA March 17, 1956 – 10th place
Bakerfield, CA May 19, 1956 - 7th place
Santa Barbara, CA. September 1, 1956 - Race 7 – 14th place
Santa Barbara, CA September 2, 1956 - Race 12 – 12th place
Pomona, CA October 21, 1956 - 11th place
Santa Barbara, CA May 18, 1957 - Race 9 – 8th place, Race 15 – 9th place
Santa Barbara, CA September 1, 1957 - Race 12 - 2nd place
Santa Barbara, CA September 2, 1957 – Race 15 – 13th place

At the end of 1957, XKC 007 was sold to Robert Lane. Lane ran the car at Bonneville with a D-Type head and 45DC03 Weber carbs, and was clocked at 157 mph.

Jack Ratteree, a clarinet player in the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, was the next owner. The car was subsequently owned by Walt Osborne and Rick Johnson before being purchased by noted C and D-Type expert Terry Larson in 1986 and completely restored. At the time, the original head was not installed, but it has since been reunited with the car and is included in the sale.

The current owner has shown the car at concours events since 1993 and the car has achieved many 100 point scores and first places in the Jaguar Club of North America competitions. The car is a JCNA Challenge Cup winner and has won the national class. It was awarded the Best Sports Car Award at Meadow Brook in 1996 and was second in class at Pebble Beach in 1997.

The glorious C-Type Jaguar presented here, chassis number, XKC-007 with original engine, number E-1009-8 has an exemplary history. It is a race winning car in the hands of one of the all-time great racing drivers – Phil Hill – sports car ace and 1961 Formula 1 World Champion. This car would grace all the great historic events of the world and could surely be a race winner once again. Phil Hill described this car as, “the most tractable go to the store type sports racing car I have ever driven.”

“I was just in awe of the C-Type when I first stepped into it. When I look back on it now, it makes me smile. The steering was light – almost scary light. It was the first car I ever drove that had a really precise feel about it – it really felt like a racing car.”

- Phil Hill, speaking of XKC-007

2009-08-25 10:16:28 | pauls writes:

Car sold at $2,530,000.

2009-11-12 08:27:53 | pauls writes:

Direct URL to RM auction description:
www.rmauctions.com/CarDetails.cfm

2017-11-10 21:59:23 | Fritz writes:

On auction with RM Sothebys in December

www.rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/NY17/New-York---ICONS/lots/r030-1952-jaguar-c-typ ...

2017-11-12 17:38:38 | pauls writes:

Description from above auction listing:

Lot Number 131
1952 Jaguar C-Type
$5,500,000 - $7,000,000
New York - ICONS - Offered on: Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Chassis No. XKC 007
Engine No. E 1009-8
Gearbox No. JH 10416
Body No. K 1009

One of only 53 examples built
The first example to be imported to, and to win a race in, the United States
Raced by the legendary Phil Hill for first owner Charles Hornburg
Authentically restored and maintained by well-known marque experts
Extensive in-period racing history on California SCCA circuits
Exhibited at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island, Meadowbrook, and numerous JCNA events
Remarkably original and pure example of a Coventry legend

XKC 007

This stunning C-Type is just the seventh example of 53 cars in the chassis number sequence and wears the ninth body constructed. Chassis number XKC 007 also claims important SCCA racing history in the hands of the legendary Phil Hill.

After completing assembly in late June 1952, this Jaguar was dispatched in early August to Charles Hornburg's seminal West Coast distributorship, and the car is believed to be the very first C-Type to reach the United States. As such an early example of Coventry's marquis sports racer, the C-Type was retained by Hornburg for competition and promotional purposes, and he entrusted XKC 007 to the great Phil Hill for several races over the next few months.

The Jaguar debuted as #41 at Elkhart Lake in early September 1952. As his son Derek recalls, Phil Hill actually drove the Jaguar himself from California to Wisconsin for the race. There, Hill won the Sheldon Cup race outright, and finished 4th in the main event. The Sheldon Cup victory was the first win by a C-Type in the United States. Having driven the car to the race, Hill then drove it back to LA!

After the Watkins Glen Grand Prix was cancelled mid-contest due to an unrelated collision, Hill drove XKC 007 at the Madera Airport in early November, finishing in 2nd place. He then took the checkered flag in mid-December at Torrey Pines when the C-Type roared to a 1st-place finish.

By late 1955 the Jaguar was sold to Carlyle Blackwell Jr., of Hollywood, California, the son of a famed silent film actor who starred in some 180 different pre-"talkie" movies. Blackwell Jr. entered the car in 18 different races in California over the next two years at circuits such as Palm Springs, Paramount, and Pomona, generally finishing between 7th and 10th, though once placing as high as 2nd at Santa Barbara in early September 1957.

By the end of 1957, the C-Type was sold to marque enthusiast Robert Lane, a longtime Hollywood gunsmith who worked on the Paramount Pictures studio lot, and later owned one of the rare E-Type Lightweights. Lane refitted the engine block with a D-Type cylinder head with larger carburetors and ran the car at the Bonneville Salt Flats, where he was reportedly timed hitting 157 mph. After passing through an interim owner, XKC 007 was sold to Jack Ratteree of Arizona, a clarinet player in the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra.

The C-Type was repainted in British Racing Green around this time (having been finished in red at a prior juncture), and passed to Walt Osborne and then Richmond Johnson in 1972. Johnson retained possession of the special C-Type for 16 years, eventually selling it to Jaguar specialist Terry Larson of Mesa, Arizona. Larson arranged a sale to Jeffrey Pattinson of the United Kingdom, and then conducted a full concours-quality restoration on the new owner's behalf. A letter from Larson in the documentation notes the car's remarkably unrestored condition at the time, extolling the originality of the wiring harness, body panels, and hidden sections of original paint.

In early 1993, the C-Type was acquired by JCNA member Gerald Nell of Palm Desert, California, and he immediately retained Larson to conduct a full freshening, as the car was largely unused during Pattinson's half-decade as custodian. Nell proceeded to present the important Jaguar at numerous JCNA events, where it routinely drew awards. Exhibition highlights over the next few years included a JCNA national class win, a JCNA Challenge Cup win, the Best Sportscar Award at the 1997 Meadowbrook Concours d'Elegance, and a class award at the 1997 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

Following Mr. Nell's passing, XKC 007 was purchased by collector Gary Bartlett of Muncie, Indiana. As reflected by numerous invoices, Mr. Bartlett invested in a significant freshening of the Jaguar, retaining the respected Chris Keith-Lucas to prepare the car for niche events and rallies. Certified with a FIVA card and an MSA Historic Technical Passport, the C-Type then participated in the 2010 Mille Miglia Storico and was presented at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. Mr. Bartlett also sourced a correct tool kit to complement the factory-authentic restoration work.

More recently acquired by the consignor, a respected collector of fine vintage sports cars, XKC 007 has continued to enjoy a life of pampered care and consistent maintenance as needed. It is notably documented with a copy of an original factory test report for this exact chassis number, as well as prior bills of sale, C-Type registry histories, and restoration invoices.

Piloted by the illustrious Phil Hill to the first-ever win by a C-Type in the United States, this important Coventry sports-racer is undoubtedly one of the most historically significant privateer examples of the celebrated model. As Hill later recalled, "I was just in awe of the C-Type when I first stepped into it. When I look back on it now, it makes me smile. The steering was light - almost scary light. It was the first car I ever drove that had a really precise feel about it - it really felt like a racing car."

XKC 007 additionally benefits from extended care and restoration by two of the niche's most respected experts, and a well-documented history. Such a striking example of Jaguar's revered Le Mans winner should provide instantaneous entry to vintage motoring events worldwide, and it would make a peerless addition to even the most accomplished collections.

DATE RACE NUMBER EVENT DRIVER RESULT
September 6, 1952 41 SCCA National, Sheldon Cup, Elkhart Lake Phil Hill 1st OA
September 7, 1952 41 SCCA National, Main Race, Elkhart Lake Phil Hill 1st IC, 4th OA
September 19, 1952 2 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Phil Hill DNF (race stopped)
November 9, 1952 2 Madera Airport Phil Hill 2nd OA
December 14, 1952 2 Torrey Pines Phil Hill 1st OA
October 22, 1955 18 Six Hours of Torrey Pines Carlyle Blackwell DNF
December 3, 1955 18 Palm Springs Carlyle Blackwell 10th OA
December 4, 1955 18 Palm Springs Carlyle Blackwell 11th OA
January 15, 1956 18 One Hour Race, Torrey Pines Carlyle Blackwell 9th OA
March 17, 1956 18 Preliminary Race, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 10th OA
March 18, 1956 18 Final Race, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell DNF
May 19, 1956 18 Preliminary, Bakersfield Carlyle Blackwell 7th OA
May 20, 1956 18 Final, Bakersfield Carlyle Blackwell 9th OA
September 1, 1956 18 Race 7, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 14th OA
September 2, 1956 18 Race 12, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 12th OA
October 20, 1956 18 Preliminary Race, Pomona Carlyle Blackwell 10th OA
October 21, 1956 18 Final Race, Pomona Carlyle Blackwell 11th OA
March 9, 1957 18 Preliminary Race, Paramount Ranch Raceway Carlyle Blackwell 11th OA
March 10, 1957 18 Final Race, Paramount Ranch Raceway Carlyle Blackwell 7th OA
May 18, 1957 18 Race 9, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 8th OA
May 19, 1957 18 Race 15, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 9th OA
September 1, 1957 18 Race 12, Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 2nd OA
September 1, 1957 18 Santa Barbara Carlyle Blackwell 13th OA

2017-12-07 10:44:21 | Fritz writes:

Sold for 5.285 Millions