In 1953, Jaguar began developing a successor to its C-Type, whose victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951 and 1953 had established the Coventry firm as a dominant force in international motor racing. Under the direction of William Heynes, and shaped by aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer, the resulting D-Type was a striking advance. Its central aluminum monocoque drew upon aircraft construction methods, while its streamlined, aerodynamic bodywork was designed for sustained high-speed circuits. Powered by a highly-developed version of Jaguar’s proven twin-cam XK six-cylinder engine, it possessed the speed and durability required for the highest echelon of endurance competition.\n\nThe D-Type combined this advanced construction with dry sump lubrication, Dunlop disc brakes, and lightweight aluminum coachwork. Sayer’s design was dictated by aerodynamic efficiency, yet its distinctive proportions and compound curves produced an automobile of extraordinary beauty. Few racing cars have so convincingly united engineering purpose with aesthetic distinction.\n\nJaguar’s ambition was rewarded with three consecutive victories at Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957. Yet the D-Type was also offered to customers, giving privateers access to the same fundamental design as the works cars. At the 1955 Earls Court Motor Show, Motor Sport described the offering as a “170-m.p.h. sports/racing D-type, available to ordinary mortals, more or less.” The magazine’s knowing qualification captured how extraordinary it was that a private customer could acquire such a machine.\n\nThose customers carried their D-Types far beyond the established European circuits. Reflecting on the model for Motor Sport, Denis Jenkinson noted that examples had been “sold all over the world, from Mexico to Australia.” This outstanding example, XKD 552, would travel from the Browns Lane plant in Coventry to East Africa, the Caribbean, and North America.\n\nOriginally finished in Battleship Grey, XKD 552 remained with Jaguar after construction. Factory car records cited in The Complete Register of Jaguar C-Types, D-Types & Lightweight E-Types note that it was dispatched on loan to James Church on July 12, 1956, apparently for display purposes. By November 21, it had returned to Jaguar and was listed among the company’s stock of unsold D-Types. Its life in private hands began the following spring: on May 6, 1957, XKD 552 was dispatched to Lowis and Hodgkiss, Jaguar’s distributor in Nairobi, Kenya.\n\nIts first owner, John Manussis, was an ambitious and experienced racing driver. Based in Kenya, he had previously owned an ex-works C-Type, chassis XKC 037, and raced it in Europe, including appearances at Dundrod and Reims. The purchase of a D-Type was a natural progression for a driver well acquainted with Jaguar’s finest sports racing machinery.\n\nManussis raced XKD 552 locally, including at Nakuru Park in Kenya’s Rift Valley. Opened in 1956, Nakuru was a purpose-built circuit serving an active East African community of car and motorcycle racers. Its approximately 1.3-mile course presented a very different challenge from Le Mans, with a tight hairpin, short straights, and a sequence of bends overlooked by a hillside spectator area. A firsthand account recalls Manussis driving his D-Type there and attempting to become the first competitor to lap the circuit in under a minute. Such recollections place XKD 552 within a fascinating, lesser-known chapter of Jaguar’s international competition history.\n\nManussis later achieved his greatest success in rallying. Sharing a Mercedes-Benz 220 SE with Bill Coleridge and David Beckett, he won the 1961 East African Safari outright. That achievement came after he had parted with XKD 552, but it demonstrates the caliber and versatility of the Jaguar’s first owner – a man equally at home in a sports racing car and on one of the world’s most demanding rallies.\n\nAround 1958, Manussis sold the D-Type to Nolis John Samaras of Dar es Salaam. Samaras also raced the car at Nakuru and recollections of his ownership describe XKD 552 as repainted red with a broad white stripe, a vivid change from its understated original Battleship Grey. In 1960, the Jaguar traveled through Britain and the Caribbean before eventually being sold to Roger Lucas of Montreal, Canada.\n\nLucas’ father had established a jewelry firm there after emigrating from Paris, and Roger grew up immersed in its work. He went on to become one of Canada’s leading artist jewelers, bringing a sculptural approach to designs that attracted international acclaim. During Lucas’s ownership, XKD 552 was repainted gold – a memorable choice for a jeweler’s D-Type.\n\nFrom Lucas, the Jaguar passed to Don Newlands, a Canadian photographer and photojournalist with a keen interest in motor racing. Throughout the 1960s, his work appeared in Maclean’s, Time, Life, and Paris Match, among other publications. During Newlands’s ownership, the D-Type appeared in an issue of Jaguar Journal, where it was noted to have placed second at a Jaguar club concours. He later sold XKD 552 to George Phillips of Toronto, continuing its chain of Canadian ownership.\n\nBy 1989, the D-Type was owned by noted collector Eric Traber of Switzerland, who sent it to Arizona for restoration by Terry Larson. One of the most respected specialists in Jaguar competition cars, Larson restored XKD 552 in the present pale yellow, the livery in which it would become familiar at historic events. Accounts and photographs of the restoration emphasize the retention of original and period components, while noting that the bonnet had previously been replaced. The restoration marked the beginning of an active new chapter, as its new owners returned the Jaguar to roads and circuits around the world.\n\nIn 1991, XKD 552 passed to passionate east coast collector and vintage racer Bruce Lustman. Ned Spieker of California acquired it through Larson in 1997 and made enthusiastic use of the Jaguar, taking part in the Mille Miglia Storica, Monterey Historics, and other events. In 2003, the D-Type was acquired by its current owner, who has continued the tradition of using the car in the world’s most prestigious motoring events.\n\nUnder the present ownership, XKD 552 has participated in historic races and tours including Le Mans Classic, Monaco Historics, Goodwood Revival, and Terry Larson’s popular C- and D-Type Tours. At Goodwood in 2014, it took part in the prestigious Lavant Cup race for D-Types. These outings reflect an enduring commitment to enjoy the Jaguar’s considerable abilities.\n\nTerry Larson notes that the D-Type is accompanied by its matching-numbers engine, with its correctly numbered head and block, and retains its original monocoque, numbered front subframe, brass data tag, and riveted body tag. He states that XKD 552 also retains its original bodywork, with the exception of the bonnet (replaced by the 1970s) and its tail fin, which was added during his restoration. Altogether, XKD 552 is extremely rare among surviving D-Types, in that it retains so many original components. This D-Type’s documented history, restoration by Terry Larson, and participation in historic events distinguish this fascinating example of Jaguar’s most famous sports racer.\n\nThe D-Type’s three consecutive Le Mans victories, advanced engineering, and unmistakable beauty secure its place among the defining competition cars of the postwar era. XKD 552 brings a particularly engaging history to that legacy, linking an accomplished East African racer, a Montreal jeweler, a Canadian photojournalist, and successive enthusiasts who continued to drive and enjoy it. From its early outings at Nakuru to later appearances at Goodwood, Le Mans, and Monaco, this example embodies the international reach of the customer D-Type and offers its next owner the opportunity to continue its extraordinary journey.
\n*Please note that this vehicle is titled 1955.\n
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