1953 Pegaso Z-102 Thrill Coupe

Among all of Carrozzeria Touring’s post-war work, this sole Pegaso is one of their most thrilling. Being a one-of, that allowed it to be much more daring than standard practice. In 1951, Pegaso was building Spain’s only sports car on a steel tube frame, aluminum V8 engine and rear transaxle. Known as the Z-102, these were meant for the high-end market and attracted work from the Europe’s premier coachbuilders.

Three years into production, Wilfredo P. Ricart, a Spanish car designer, approached Touring to make a new show car on the Z-102 chassis. Pegaso’s mother company, Empresa Nacional de Autocamiones S.A., (ENASA) paid for the work. Like many extravagant Pegasos, the Thrill was planned for the 1953 Concours d’Elegance. A cross-haired grill was the only visual cue that marked the Thrill as a Peagso. Touring styled a completely new body shape and interior that was fitting for the car’s name. The design used unfamiliar yet balanced lines and accentuated them with a high-contrast, red-on-black paint scheme. From the outside, the most immediately noticeable trait is the car’s two flying buttresses that form the leading edge of the rear wings. These are a definite nod to America'a jet-age design, but the rounded edges make the Thrill appear less threatening. (supercars.net)

(Photos from supercars.net, coachbuild.com & mgcarclubantwerp.be)

1957 Jaguar XKSS Roadster

In 1957, after Jaguar withdrew from racing, the company offered the 25 remaining, unfinished D-Type race car chassis as the road-going Jaguar XKSS.

Only minor changes were made to the basic D-type structure: the addition of a passenger side door, the removal of the large fin behind the driver's seat, and the removal of the divider between passenger and driver seats. In addition, changes were made for cosmetic, comfort and legal reasons: a full-width, chrome-surrounded windscreen was added; side-screens were added to both driver and passenger doors; a rudimentary, folding, fabric roof was added for weather protection; chromed bumpers were added front and rear (a styling cue later used on the E-type); XK140 rear light clusters mounted higher on the wings; and thin chrome strips added to the edge of the front light fairings.

With a Dual-Overhead Cam XK straight-six cylinder engine with 3442cc capacity, the vehicle could race from zero to sixty in 7.3 seconds. The 250 hp output was capable of propelling the car to a top speed of nearly 150 mph. Excellent stopping power was provided by the 4-wheel disc brakes.

On the evening of 12 February 1957, a fire broke out at the Browns Lane plant destroying 9 of the 25 cars that had already been completed or were semi-completed. Only 16 finished XKSSs survived. (wikipedia, conceptcarz.com,  & ultimatecarpage.com) 

Steve McQueen's Jaguar XKSS (chassis #713)

The American actor Steve McQueen owned a Jaguar XKSS for personal use, painted British racing green. He referred to the car as the "Green Rat". He used it both on the road and on the track before selling to William Harrah at the end of the 1960s. He missed the stylish Jaguar so much that he bought it back a few years later and kept it until his untimely death in 1984. Today it's part of the Petersen Museum Collection. It is the only XKSS with polished wheels.

(Photos from flickr.com, conceptcarz.com & ultimatecarpage.com)

Jaguar D-Type Race Car (1954-57)

The structural design of the D-Type, revolutionary at the time, applied aeronautical technology. The "tub", or cockpit section, was of monocoque construction, mostly comprising sheets of aluminium alloy. Powered by a straight-6 XK engine design (initially 3.4 litres and uprated to 3.8 litres in the late fifties). Total D-Type production is thought to have included 18 factory team cars, 53 customer cars, and 16 XKSS versions. (wikipedia)

(Photos from rmauctions.com)