Seasoned Jaguar fans won’t need any introduction to ‘OKV 1’, but for those not in the know, the car is legendary among classic Jaguar circles as the second D-Type that Jaguar produced.
It was also Jaguar’s highest finishing entry at the 1954 Le Mans, the first year D-Types competed the race. Astonishingly, the car battled fuel starvation issues for much of the race, making the finish less than a lap behind the leading Ferrari all the more remarkable.
Duncan Hamilton, one of the drivers of ‘OKV 1’ in the 1954 Le Mans, would go on to purchase the car, but not before the car notched second place at the 1954 Reims 12 Hours. Hamilton subsequently privately campaigned the car with some success, with current owner Peter Neumark purchasing the car in 2000.
OKV 1’s own history aside, any D-type draws crowds, with good reason. At The Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival OKV 1 was flanked by Nigel Webb’s 1955 D-Type, as driven by Mike Hawthorn, in our paddock. A constant gaggle of admirers accompanied the cars throughout the day, the only exception being when they were on the road parading through Windsor!
The D-Type is undoubtedly one of Jaguar’s most famous race cars of all time, it’s aerodynamic shape not only making it seem far ahead of its time but providing it with numerous racing successes. The D-Type would win the 1955 Le Mans for Jaguar (with the aforementioned Mike Hawthorn car) and also the 1956 and 1957 Le Mans with Ecurie Ecosse.
The car was not just a success as Le Mans however, with both Jaguar-owned cars and private teams winning numerous other races, even finding success in America at the Sebring 12 Hours.
The car’s iconic bodywork was the work of Jaguar legend Malcolm Sawyer, who was by then a world-leader in automotive aerodynamics. One of Sawyer’s key developments was the D-Type’s incredibly small frontal area. By the 1954 Le Mans, the D-Type was nearly 20mph faster than Ferrari’s far more powerful 375 due to its low drag coefficient.
Otherwise, the D-Type improved from where the 1953 Le Mans winner, the C-Type, had left off. Much of the suspension and braking components were carried over, including the cutting edge all-round disc brakes. The body was now largely of monocoque construction as well, with a central ‘tub’ attached to tubular subframes at the front and rear.
OKV 1 – a fantastic example of the breed – was restored by Classic Motor Cars of Shropshire with the aim of remaining as close to how it came out of the factory as possible. Suffice to say CMC and Peter have done a remarkable job and the car was one of the highlights of our parade through Windsor for all.
