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The 1953 Jaguar C-Type, photographed by Michael Furman for the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, in partnership with the Delaware Valley Jaguar Club.
The C-Type Jaguar was developed from the production XK-120 Jaguar, which had shown great promise at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950. The C-Type (for Competition) used the same twin cam, six-cylinder engine but with triple Weber carburetors, producing over 200 bhp. This, and with almost 1000 pounds removed, allowed the C-Type to win first time out in 1951 and repeated this achievement in 1953.
The car in the Simeone Museum is chassis XKC 010 and was delivered in 1952 to Midwest Jaguar dealer Art Feuerbacher. It ran in a series of smaller races but its greatest performance was in the 1953 Sebring where it came in 3rd overall driven by Sherwood Johnston who that year won the drivers’ championship. It had a brief racing history thereafter until 1959 when purchased by Ohioan Art Seyler. He rebuilt the original engine, and later raced it between 1961 and 1965 in regional SCCA events bragging he had 30 straight finishes before they forced him to retire because of a broken axle. He raced it at Mid-Ohio against Ken Miles in a Cobra, Jim Hall in a Chaparral, all with the same engine. He drove to the VSCCA race at Watkins Glen in 1975, raced, and drove back (one of his favorite practices).
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