Glorious Jaguar C-type owned by ‘Fastest American Racer Ever’ to star at Concours of Elegance 2025
The Concours of Elegance, presented by A. Lange & Söhne, is delighted to announce that 2025’s show will feature perhaps the most genuine example of one of Britain’s definitive racing cars: the Jaguar C-type.
The C-type, chassis ‘XKC-015’, that will go on show at Hampton Court Palace later this year, remains in highly original condition and boasts a fascinating history. The now priceless machine once sold for just $2,500, and was owned in period by Masten Gregory, the Le Mans winning American racing car driver, described by none other than Caroll Shelby as “the fastest American ever”.
This evocatively patinaed racing car represents an unrepeatable piece of British automotive history. It will line up at the palace from September 5th-7th for Europe’s premier concours d’elegance event alongside 60 other rare and significant motor cars, drawn from leading private collections all over the globe.
Background on the C-type
The Jaguar C-type was introduced in the early 1950s by Jaguar to replace the XK120, which had become outgunned on the racetracks around the world. The C-type represented Jaguar’s attempt to re-establish its dominance on track, with a particular focus on the burgeoning North American market. It featured a powerful 3.4-litre straight-six motor, putting out over 200bhp, more than enough to give the super-light machine startling performance for its day. It could it hit 60mph in around 6 seconds, and run on to a top speed of over 140mph. Just 53 C-types built between 1951 and 1953, and it now ranks among the most collectible British cars of all.
XKC-015: Early Years & Star Owner
The specific Jaguar C-type that will be on display at Hampton Court Palace, chassis XKC-015, was despatched from the factory at Browns Lane on 14th October, 1952, finished in an off white cream paint it still wears to this day, with suede green interior trim. It was delivered to Charles Hornburg, Jaguar’s West Coast dealer in Beverly Hills. Hornburg was responsible for an influx of C-types into the US; he had convinced Jaguar boss William Lyons that competing in America would increase sales, so it became a specific target market for the firm.
After purchasing it from Hornburg in Beverly Hills, the first owner of XKC-015 took it racing only once, before selling it in early ’53 to Masten Gregory, then an up and coming racing driver. Known as the “Kansas City Flash,” the youthful looking and bespectacled Gregory was both seriously talented, and seriously wealthy, the heir to an insurance company fortune. He bought the C-type at the age of 23, just one year after starting his racing career. They formed quite the partnership, and he drove the car to victory at an event in Stillwater, Oklahoma, followed by a win at the Guardsman Trophy race at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
After this success on track, Gregory loaned XKC-015 to magazine, Road & Track, who’d tried and failed to source one to test via official channels. As the publication recalled: “For some reason Type Cs are hard to get and all attempts to line one up for our rather strenuous test routine failed, that is, until just before the Golden Gate Road Races when we received a phone call from Masten Gregory. Mr. Gregory, it seems, had heard of our dilemma and suggested that we test his car – provided, of course, that it survived the coming race event. To make a long story short, the car not only survived, it won the race and was duly returned to Los Angeles for us to test.”
After being put through its paces by the road test team, and immortalised in the magazine, the C-type returned to competition. Gregory wound up having a serious crash in it during practice for a race in New York; he spun and the car caught on fire. Jumping out just in time he was able to return to the pits, where he promptly sold the car on the spot, and bought another C-type, XKC-022.
Great success would follow for Gregory over the course of the late 1950s and 1960s. He eventually ascended to Formula 1, where he secured a podium finish in his very first World Championship Grand Prix start – a first by an American. He would go on to race 43 times in Formula One, before switching to sports cars in 1965. He promptly won the Le Mans 24 Hours that same year, and later became one of just a handful of drivers to race in the Triple Crown: competing in the Le Mans 24h, Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix.
Gregory was a hugely respected figure in motorsport; he was the hero of Formula 1 legend and two-time World Champion, Jim Clark, and Caroll Shelby said he was “the fastest American ever to race a Grand Prix car”. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2013.
Resurrection and Later Years
After its colourful stint with Gregory, XKC-015’s new owner, Liny Hansen quickly repaired the car, and it was soon back on the circuit. Not long thereafter, it broke the course record at the Mount Washington hill climb, with the car running minus its bodywork, and causing quite the stir.
The car later passed between enthusiasts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before being advertised in Road & Track in 1964. The car was bought by Mark Daniels from Milwaukee, who acquired XKC-015 for just $2,500 – the equivalent of around $25,000 in today’s money – a steal for what now ranks as one of the most desirable and valuable classics in existence.
XKC-015 was in a sorry state when Daniels acquired the car, and he set about restoring it to its former glory, using nothing but genuine original C-type parts in a painstaking process that took over two years to complete. Daniels was so committed to ensuring the C-type was ‘genuine’, that he remarkably bought a second C-type, XKC-034, to use as a donor car. He completed the restoration to the very highest standards, using only authentic, never refabricated parts.
Daniels ensured that XKC-015 was soon back in regular use, being driven enthusiastically on both road and track. Years later, Daniels’ son, Mark, recalled having “many good memories of runs up to Road America, and late-night blasts through the neighbourhoods”. One imagines XKC-015 would have made quite an impression on local residents as it sped through quiet suburban streets, its unsilenced straight-six howl filling the evening air.
After 14 years of ownership, Daniels sold the car to an enthusiast Vancouver, Canada, before it came home to the UK in the mid 1980s. It has since been used enthusiastically at events in the UK and around Europe. XKC-015 now stands out as a uniquely genuine example of the C-type, covered in evocative patina, and ready to delight guests at Hampton Court Palace later this summer.
The Jaguar will star alongside 60 other concours cars, drawn from leading private collections across the globe. Outside of the main Concours display there will special features, including the Levitt Concours – dedicated to the most passionate female owners – the 30UNDER30, which celebrates enthusiastic owners under 30 years of age and the Club Trophy, which gathers the very best examples of models from the nation’s best car clubs.
Aside from the automotive displays, the Concours of Elegance 2025 will assemble an engaging ensemble of luxury and hospitality partners, meaning guests and visitors can enjoy the ultimate garden party atmosphere, with champagne provided by Charles Heidseick and picnics by Fortnum & Mason. Leading names in the worlds of fashion, art and jewellery will be showcasing their fine luxury goods across all three days, while presenting partner A. Lange & Söhne will be presenting its most refined and intricate timepieces.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://concoursofelegance.co.uk/tickets/