Miguel Sánchez
When we talk about units with a remarkable history we normally do so in relation to their participation in races. However, the most striking thing about the Jaguar C Type with chassis #XKC-018 is not so much this as having belonged to two F1 world champions: Juan Manuel Fangio and Jenson Button.
Likewise, in the case of the Argentine, this English feline has the curious fact of having been its first owner; something really interesting because just by briefly remembering the track record of the "Crooked"One notices how at the time of purchase he was in full idyll with Alfa Romeo.
However, it will be best to go step by step in order to shed light on the history of this very unique C-Type currently available from the British company. Fiskens. So, the first thing to take into account is the year of manufacture: 1952.
At this moment Fangio was fighting for his second F1 championship in order to win it definitively with his Alfetta, all this after having finished second the previous season, only surpassed by his teammate Giuseppe Farina.
DRIVE AN ALFA ROMEO, WANT A JAGUAR
1950 was a pivotal year for Alfa Romeo. Aware of its strategic role in the reconstruction of post-war Italy, it put aside its artisanal methods prior to the war in order to embrace mass production aimed at a market in need of new passenger vehicles.
The result of this was the 1900. Born as a spacious and functional saloon, but at the same time faithful to the spirit of the brand thanks to the sporty touch of its versions. International Tourism or the facilities given by the manufacturer to bodybuilders with the idea of converting this family car into a GT with a short chassis ready for racing.
However, Alfa Romeo's budget was very restricted in terms of sport, making it impossible to invest the large sum needed to replace the Alfetta - still successful although based on clearly outdated designs - in the midst of the technological revolution unleashed by Mercedes, Lancia and Maserati looking towards 1954 with its W196, D50 and 250F respectively.
In any case, during that 1952 season the Alfetta driven by Fangio was still the benchmark to beat in those early days of a F1 born to replace the old GPs related to the European Drivers Championship. A context where -curiously- the Argentine secretly longed to pilot one of the magnificent Jaguar C Type presented during the previous year.
JAGUAR C-TYPE, STRAIGHT TO LE MANS
To talk about Jaguar after the Second World War is to talk about the XK6 engine. Completed in 1949, this six cylinders in line It has been one of the longest-lived mechanical blocks in the entire history of motorsport, having been present in the Jaguar range for a whopping four decades.
Also, thanks to its reliable and lively character, its initial application in the two-seater XK120 was quite promising in terms of achieving excellent results in the World of Brands. However, to achieve this, the British manufacturer dedicated a significant effort to create a variant born by and for the highest positions in the competition.
This is how the Jaguar C-Type was born in 1951, a model with the Le Mans layout in mind based on the mechanics of the XK120 although equipped with an interesting and advanced tubular chassis combined with an aerodynamic aluminium body.
Furthermore, although the first units mounted drum brakes from 1953, each and every one of the units had disc brakes on both axles as well as improved fuel supply with triple-barrel carburettors combined with an improved camshaft.
At this point, the Jaguar C-Type was the British bet to win Le Mans, easily beating the Allard J2X of the official team -characterised by the bodywork with integrated wheel arches- while achieving victory at Le Mans 1951; no more and no less than its first participation.
A FELINE FOR THE ARGENTINE
The sporting calendars of those old drivers were not like those of today. Far from it, they jumped from race to race with an astonishing speed, often driving their own vehicles to get from one appointment to another while traveling large continental distances.
In short, not only were the times epic on the tracks; they were also epic in the transports from one circuit to another, making it completely normal to see drivers like Fangio competing in F1 while They competed in all kinds of GPs or quotes from the World Brands Championship uploaded on models from various brands.
However, when he signed his contract with Officine Alfieri Maserati for the 1953 season, that would change radically, as the trident house was not willing to undermine its brand image seeing how its star pilot He won touring and endurance races by driving competing designs.
And yes, that was a problem for Fangio, since he had just acquired a Jaguar C-Type in October of the previous year with the idea of racing occasionally in Argentina. What's more, the British manufacturer shipped it to the Latin American country on the date of October 27.
All this after having charged the pilot only the 50% of the sales price due to the excellent advertising image achieved with such an owner, even more so if we take into account how Mercedes had achieved an obvious coup after winning that year -1952- at Le Mans with its new and promising 300 SL.
A JAGUAR C-TYPE WITH AN EXCELLENT HISTORY
At this point, the documentary history of the Jaguar C-Type chassis #XKC-018 has gaps in relation to being able to know how long it was under Fangio's ownership. However, given what we have just said in relation to the contract with Maserati, everything points to it being a short time, even more so considering the fact of how Jose Billet -Jaguar importer in Argentina- raced with it for the first time at the San Martín Racetrack in June 1953.
After this, it can be followed in local competitions - including the 1000 Kilometers of Buenos Aires - until the end of the decade, when it was repainted again - they already went twice - before beginning its history as collection model at the highest level.
A fortunate journey because -as anyone who knows a little about Argentine motorsports will have already guessed- that such a vehicle remained with the original mechanics It was something really remarkable because, to tell the truth, many of these models “high end"They ended their days with pieces of all kinds and conditions, extending their useful years based on highly questionable strange transformations.
ON SALE AT FISKENS
Thus, the ex-Fangio Jaguar C-Type aroused great interest among collectors, with the American taking the cake. Bill Tracy when he managed to buy it and import it to his collection in Virginia, even though he did not know the details of its first owner. From then on, a hectic dance of buying and selling began, where it recovered its original colour in a restoration completed in 1997.
All this to finally attract the attention of the 1 F2009 champion. Jenson Button, who bought it in 2016 to give it an active life in classic races making it a regular participant in Goodwood Revival or last year's Monterey Historic.
In short, a first-class piece with the anecdote of having belonged to two world champions F1; that's something very few cars can say.
Images: Fiskens
