1952 Jaguar C-Type

[Jaguar Owners Club]

 

A 1952 Jaguar C-Type raced by Jimmy Stewart and later driven by his brother, the three-time Formula One champion Sir Jackie Stewart, is being auctioned at the Bonhams December Sale.

The racing roadster is one of seven vehicles from the Dick Skipworth Ecurie Ecosse collection going under the hammer at the classic car auction.

The C-Type is one of just 54 built and estimated to reach between £2m and £3m at the sale on Sunday 1 December.

The C-Type was bought new by Glasgow motor trader Bob Sanderson as one of the three C-Types to be raced by his son Ninian, and his Scottish team-mates – including Jimmy Stewart – in 1953.

It was during the 1953 campaign that Jimmy Stewart took to the wheel of the car - known as "042" after its chassis number - where he came third at Charterhall and sixth at the Nurburgring.

After Jimmy’s death in 2008, Sir Jackie Stewart drove the car in homage to his late brother, whom he credited with nurturing his interest in motor sport.

"It is one of the most original of the cars in the Skipworth Collection. It has a wonderful history, retains lot of originality, and is in smashing condition," said James Knight, motoring director at Bonhams.

He added: "The lovely thing about the C-Type, perhaps more than D-Type, is what you can achieve in terms of owner-driver enjoyment. You can use on historic rallies like the Mille Miglia, and can also drive it on the track. The D-Type is a lot less tractable to drive on public roads.”

For those not worried about the how easy it is to drive a car on the road, there is also a 1956 D-Type from the same collection in the sale, with an estimate of between £2.5m and £3.5m.

Other highlights from the sale include a 1934 Aston Martin Ulster (£600,000 – £800,000) and a 1964 Porsche 904 GTS Endurance Racing Coupe (£1.3m - £1.6m).

This year's December Sale is the first to be held at the Bonhams headquarters on London's New Bond Street.