Stirling Moss’s 1954 short-nose Jaguar D-Type is being sold by RM Sotheby’s at its Arizona sale on 18-19 January. Its long-time owner is US collector Terry Larson who bought it in 1999 – and whose first drive in it was racing in the Goodwood Revival.
OKV 2 – officially, XKD 403 – was the second D-Type built and the lead car in Jaguar’s works team at the debut of the Malcolm Sayer-designed masterpiece at Le Mans in ’54.
Driven by Sir Stirling and Peter Walker, the British Racing Green short-nose was the car to beat in practice, setting a record speed for the time down the Mulsanne Straight of 172.97 mph. The Ferraris were all done at 160. But in the race, a problem with contaminated fuel meant a DNF, so while OKV 2 was the fastest car at La Sarthe in ’54 it never did win the great race.
By the time Jaguar was back a year later, for the first of the D-Type’s three wins in a row, OKV 2 was being campaigned by Tony Rolt and then Bob Berry at mostly UK race meetings, including many at Goodwood. Berry also raced it in the British Grand Prix meeting at Aintree in 1955 – he came seventh. But perhaps the greater achievement was in the Portuguese Grand Prix that year, when OKV 2 came home fifth – after being driven almost 1,000 miles to Oporto after its transporter broke down in France.