Over the course of his remarkable career, Sir Stirling Moss raced 107 different car types across all classes of motorsport, competing in 527 races overall, and winning 212 of them.
The ‘54 edition of Le Mans was not one of those, as Moss was forced to withdraw from the 24-hour marathon when his car began experiencing brake problems just after midnight (though not before Moss set a new speed record of 172.97 MPH on the course’s Mulsanne straightaway).
Like they say, you can’t win ‘em all. But you can bid on the car Moss was racing that day (and night) — this 1954 Jaguar D-Type.
The third of six D-Types to come out of Jaguar’s Coventry factory in 1954, chassis No. XKD 403 went on to race at Reims-Gueux, Goodwood, Oulton Park, Aintree, Silverstone and more, serving as the Jag team’s workhorse as well as their lab rat for technological development.
“It is this D-Type that cemented the foundation of Jaguar’s immense success at Le Mans in the ensuing years,” according to RM Sotheby’s. “The D-Type pushed not only but also their competitors, to the very limit of racing — it is the cornerstone of Jaguar’s racing history.”
Now completely restored and in the hands of its fourth owner, No. XKD 403 will be offered for sale to the public for the very first time at Sotheby’s upcoming auction in Arizona next month. With its factory tub, chassis, drivetrain and suspension still intact, the car, “one of the most raced and most original D-Types in existence,” is expected to fetch more than $12 million.
Here’s what you need to know if you want to go bid in the Grand Canyon State.
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