A Le Mans Racer in Disguise: Giovanni Michelotti’s Jaguar D-Type Coupé

A one-off 1963 prototype that transformed a legendary endurance racer into an elegant yet aggressive gran turismo.

Words by Edgardo Michelotti

Photos and Drawings: Archivio Storico Michelotti www.archiviostoricomichelotti.it

An automobile conceived as a racing car “disguised” as a sporting grand tourer: this is how I would define the Jaguar D-Type Michelotti of 1963, a project born from my father Giovanni Michelotti’s constant drive to propose new ideas and explore uncharted stylistic territories.

This restless creativity led him to acquire, almost by chance, the chassis and engine of a racing car of major historical importance, a machine that had been at the forefront of international competition in the late 1950s.

The opportunity arose to purchase, for a relatively modest sum, a Jaguar D-Type racer, chassis XKD 513, which had competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans driven by its French owner Jean-Marie Brussin, an industrial diamond manufacturer who raced under the pseudonym “Mary”.

After achieving an excellent third place at Le Mans in 1957, Brussin decided to return the following year, but the 1958 edition ended tragically when he was involved in a fatal accident on 21 June. In 1960 my father had just opened his own independent coachbuilding atelier, and the prospect of working freely on such an illustrious Jaguar excited him enormously.

The car was subsequently presented at the Geneva International Motor Show, traditionally held in early March, where it immediately attracted attention for its originality and coherence. Michelotti shaped the D-Type into an extremely sleek, aerodynamic and elegant coupé, yet one that retained a distinctly aggressive character.

The front end was defined by a striking “shark-tooth” grille feeding air to the engine, flanked by slightly protruding round headlamps that appeared like watchful eyes skimming the road surface, while the bumper was split at the centre, its two terminal overriders framing the licence plate. Large air outlets carved into the front wings improved ventilation of the engine bay, while the rising, arrow-like side profile flowed naturally towards the rear, culminating in a pronounced tail with an overhanging boot and a similarly split rear bumper.

The substantial rear overriders echoed those at the front, and the horizontal tail-lights aligned neatly with the centrally positioned number plate. The interior was equally unconventional and forward-thinking, with a fully padded dashboard designed to absorb impact and protect the passenger, circular in form and with instruments placed for perfect legibility by the driver. A strictly three-spoke wooden Nardi steering wheel enhanced both safety and driving pleasure, while the generously upholstered door panels were ergonomically shaped to allow comfortable arm support. In my view, this remains one of the most beautiful automobiles ever designed by my father.

The prototype enjoyed considerable success and was eventually sold to an American collector, Richard Carter, based in Georgia. In the 1990s it became the property of French film director Roland Urban, who chose to repaint it in a vivid Ferrari red and proudly counted it among several other Jaguar Michelotti creations originating from my father’s work for the Swiss coachbuilder Ghia-Aigle during the 1960s.

A particularly telling anecdote dates from 1991, when Urban drove the car from Cannes to Turin to attend the second Michelotti gathering. On the A10 motorway near Genoa he found himself engaged in an impromptu high-speed duel with a Ferrari 400 whose driver initially dismissed the Jaguar at a glance. The contest ended with the Ferrari lifting off first, prompting Urban to remark, with justified pride, that his opponent clearly had no idea he was challenging a genuine racing car.

Among the surviving photographs, one image remains especially striking, showing the Jaguar in its red livery surrounded by a group of Great Danes, a beautiful and evocative photograph taken by Peter Vann that perfectly captures the car’s powerful yet refined presence.

About tha author Edgardo Michelotti: Born in 1952, I hold a diploma as a surveyor and pursued a degree in Architecture in Turin. I began working alongside my father in 1973 until his illness and passing in early 1980. I continued his work until 1991, when I transitioned away from the automotive industry. For the next 15 years, I focused on industrial design, while also engaging in photography and archival digitization from 2003 to the present. This allowed me to manage an extensive archive, including the specific cataloging and complete digitization of approximately 6,000 graphic units, 20,000 photographs, 7,000 kg of full-scale design plans, as well as scale models, tools, correspondence, and periodicals. The archive spans over three decades, covering the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.