All images copywriter and images courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
Words by Andrew Hayes
The 1950’s were a great time to live for many reasons. Especially if you were the famed British marque we all know as Jaguar. However, until the C-Type debuted at Le Mans in 1951, their success was varied to say the least. Thankfully though, the C-Type would open Jaguar’s gateway to a golden age in motorsports events all over the world, from Le Mans to Watkins Glen. All throughout the rest of the decade, the English felines were not only mastering the roads, but all-things motoring. And they did it in the form of speed.
At the same time, another British motoring legend and jack-of-all-trades by the name of John Cooper was beginning to really form his racing career and improve his already pretty amazing reputation. John was probably most known as a Mini man, not in size, but in the actual MINI, the really small car only a contortionist could muster enough willpower to get into. He is also credited with co-developing the crazy idea of a rear-engine layout and was renowned as a developer and builder for specific small cars and engines. All in all, he’s not just another brick in the wall. Luckily, his great strides towards greatness didn’t come unnoticed.
Peter Whitehead, a famed Jaguar privateer racing driver, came to Cooper wanting something that Jaguar couldn’t get him. He wanted something lighter than the C-Type. So, within months of work in his small British shop, John had the car ready. It was a car that was not only lighter than the Jags that carried the same engine, but also in some cases, even more successful than his new rivals. It wore the very imaginative name “Cooper-Jaguar T33”, and it was the genesis of a perfect relationship between two very British motoring powerhouses. And that was that.
However, a year later, Peter came back wanting something better than the thing that was better than the thing he had previously been driving. And by that, I mean, he wanted a refurbished version of his T33. With Cooper appearing as if he could never say “No”, he set after it again, creating something that was a bit better in every way.
Displacement increased to a sizeable four liters, thanks largely to a newly created dry sump lubrication system. But there wasn’t much room in the engine bay to begin with, which simply meant that the XK engine wasn’t just any old inline six, but a slant six allowing for a lower profile and ultimately more aerodynamic-friendly bodywork and a bit more weight being shaved off this beautiful cars face.
Ultimately, the new Cooper-Jaguar T38 (yet another very original name) took on the racing world by storm, even trying its hand at the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hour, of which we know the Jaguar D-Types won. And my unpopular opinion is that this is a bit more beautiful than its bigwig cousins.
And so, here we are today in 2020, 65 years after this car that you’ve never heard of debuted at the Brussels Motor Show, where you can now buy one. That’s right, this car (known as “HOT 95”) is now going up for auction thanks to the wonderful RM Sotheby’s Elkhart Collection.
Although not driven by Whitehead himself, this T38 is the second of three total that were built in 1955. It was however driven and bought by another British Jaguar privateer driver by the name of Michael Head. After racing over 100 different events, he eventually sold the car, where it has then seen a few different owners until 2013 when the car was bought back by Patrick Mead, Michael’s son. There it was restored to its original configuration, although it still holds its original engine and all-aluminum body.
All in all, not only is this Cooper-Jaguar very beautiful, but it was the product of a perfect collaboration between two very important British master crafters: one a man with a shop and another a fast growing marque taking the motorsport world by storm. It truly is the best Britain had to offer in terms of what could have been, as the partnership sadly ended with this car. And in reality, at the RM Sotheby’s Elkhart sale (now postponed to October), you will have to find reasons not to bid on this beauty. In fact, don’t even bother, because you won’t find any.