One Cool Cat

When you have been around the kit car world for some time, choosing that project car of your dreams becomes a deep-seated, thought-provoking process of personal taste and entertainment. In fact, one of the most fun aspects about building and owning a kit car is the selection process.

Though the choice of any number of awesome Cobra replicas, Daytona clones, or GT40 remakes would make anyone happy, the thought of a racier car, such as the Ultima, Lola, or Noble M-12, come to mind. But when it came down to the final answer, we had to go with the classy cat that was a legend on the track and street since its inception more than 50 years ago, and that dream car is the 1951 Jaguar C-type racer.

In the jungle, the Jaguar, or Panthera onca, has no rivals, and this automotive version has no peers either, historically speaking (though Cheetah owners might argue that point).

C-Type History
Jaguar Works built only 54 C-types during the early 1950s. It's rare that we have the opportunity to see, let alone drive, one of the original works of art, but thanks to Shell Valley Companies, owning and driving this replicated work can be a reality that fits the wallets of non-millionaires, as original C-types sell for close to a million dollars!

The "C" in C-type stood for "competition," and the Jag was created to win at LeMans, which it did in '51 and '53, beating the Ferraris, Maseratis, Astons, and Talbots on the track. It raced at such historic venues as the Targa Florio and the Mille Miglia, and was driven by such legends of motorsport as Juan-Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Jackie Stewart, and Phil Hill. Some of its biggest track wins were accomplished by Peter Walker and Peter Whitehead at LeMans in '51, Hill at Elkhart Lake in 1952, and Duncan Hamilton in '53 at LeMans, using some of the first disc brakes systems ever employed on the circuit.

Jaguar introduced its XK120-C in '51 as the competition version of its formidable XK120 road car. The new sports racer broke new ground with its light, tubular spaceframe construction, and its light, streamlined, sinuous body designed by Malcolm Sayer--his first car for Jaguar. In competition, the Jaguar Works team as well as the private teams embraced the C-type. With a 3442cc straight-six DOHC engine churning out 200 bhp, it had a top speed of 151 mph and went from 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. The original had a wheelbase of 96 inches, a length of just over 13 feet, and it was built using production components where practical.

Fifty Years Later
Fast forward a half-century and most C-types are museum cars that never see the open road--unless it is a replicar, such as the one created by Rich Anderson's Shell Valley team.

Anderson hit on the vanguard concept of utilizing his tested and reliable Cobra chassis as a basic platform on which to create other cars. Shell Valley Companies has successfully utilized the approach to add a Cheetah and '30 Model A to its line, joining its popular 427 Cobra and Daytona Series 1 in the kit car marketplace.

So, starting with the SVC Cobra rectangular tube chassis, Anderson and his engineers spent 18 months getting the prototype '51 Jaguar modified, fine-tuned and complete. SVC's '51 Jaguar Replica is reminiscent of a time when privateers campaigned sensual sports cars by day and sipped champagne at the casino by night. The car you see here and the first one from the SVC molds is the prototype from which all future SVC Jags will be cloned.

Design Characteristics
Shell Valley made a few concessions to its Jaguar design (conforming to certain market and legal requirements) but their design loses nothing in this modified translation and, in some aspects, gains much.

The original '51 C had four louvers on the hood and this model uses only two and, from an aesthetic point of view, it might even look better this way. The rear is certainly Cobra-esque, and the rounded rear only serves to keep the lines fluid and sexy, taking nothing from the design. As this kit was built in a manner that the general public would be most inclined to buy and build, a street-legal windshield was added instead of those sexy Brookland numbers (small, semi-circle windscreens typically found on '30s and '40s-era racers). SVC made their street-legal Jag setup using a Jeep CJ7's windshield frame and their own Cobra windshield.

The engine of choice should have been the Jaguar 3442cc straight-six, but after toying with installing a 351 Windsor mill, SVC opted to go with the bulletproof Ford 302 that most KIT CAR readers use to power up their rides, though this car may get a supercharger at a later date.

The pedal box is set up like the old Cobra racers, with the gas pedal far forward and the brake and clutch aligned closer to the driver. The shift is set for racing but is very comfortable for street use as well. You can, of course, set the pedal box and shifter to your own specs when you build your own Cat.

The seats are most comfortable, due in part to being well padded and upholstered in black simulated leather. The padding is something the original Cat never had, but should feel good on long road tours. One other change will be the addition of a convertible top, designed specifically for this car by Shell Valley, but it would almost be a crime to ever have the top up on this feline beauty.

The Basics
The Shell Valley '51 Jag sits on the test- and track-proven SVC 2x4-inch rectangle tube chassis modified slightly from the one that serves as a platform to their line of Cobras. With a wheelbase of 98 inches (the original had a 96-inch wheelbase), the black powdercoated frame is accentuated with a narrowed Ford 9-inch rear, unequal-length four-link setup, and 250lb rear coilover shocks (350lb coils in the front). The car employs Mustang II spindles and steering box, Granada rotors and Chevy calipers, and Dayton 15x6-inch wheels that are shod in BFGoodrich Radial/TA 215/65-15 tires.

Along with the Blue Oval 302 (set up with a 9:1 compression ratio) under the hood, SVC installed a 60-amp GM alternator, 2-inch steel exhaust, and color-coded SVC valve covers. The mill is topped by an Edelbrock Performance manifold, an Edelbrock 650-cfm carburetor, and a Ford electronic distributor. An '89 Mustang TKO five-speed transmission with a B&M short-throw shifter helps put the power (estimated at 300 horses at 4,200 rpm) to the pavement.

A specially made Jaguar replica front grille is both exciting and sexy, and the one-piece nose opens easily, fastened to the body with a very classy and traditional quality leather strap. For the color, one might think a black panther would be sexy, but British Racing Green is both perfect and traditional for this English replica, so SVC chose a DuPont British Racing Green with a high-flow clear coat for the exterior.

The headlights are standard, and will soon be encased in Lexan for better aerodynamics (as SVC does with its Daytona Series 1 Coupe). The cockpit uses a custom fiberglass design by Roger Reed and is fitted with Daytona gauges, Painless Performance wiring, and a Mr. Roadster steering wheel. Those comfortable SVC seats were upholstered by Stitches Upholstery of Genoa, Nebraska, and are accompanied by black carpet.

Handling
Driving this quick cat on Gateway International Raceway's track, it accelerated smoothly and took the corners like a champ. While taking this Feline into triple digits, it handled smoothly everywhere it was pointed, from the banks and up close to the wall, to cutting a turn at its lowest level--the car had "stickability" on all occasions. Accelerating into the straights, the Ford 302 mill performed admirably and there was no shimmy in the chassis. In the Esses, the corner-to-corner line with quick steering changes produced no surprises and the Shell Valley Jag took the abuse impeccably. With a curb weight of 2,300 lbs, this car should do the quarter-mile in less than 13 seconds. The final word? All in all, this is one wild cat.