Is this the COOLEST car ever? (Spoiler: IT IS!)

Today we’re going to show you my Favorite car of all time steve mcqueen’s Jaguar xkss [Music] Back once again with leslie leslie Kendall chief historian peterson museum Or too much of guru was that better than The last time i introduced you this is Flattering you’re very kind thank you So today We are here with steve mcqueen’s jaguar Xkss Iconic iconic car tell us all about it You couldn’t do it today but back in the 50s and even or the 40s or 30s you could Campaign a car at le mans And put a rotable version of it on the Street and expect to get customers and Expect it to sell Today Le mans cars are so specialized there’s Just no way you can do that You cannot take a le mans car that’s That’s been dialed in for very certain Purposes it’s dialed in for the museum Straight it’s dialed in for the for the Specific kind of curves that it has to It has to go through uh in the day they Use sports racing cars they were kind of A dual purpose sports racing uh car for For le mans And um jaguar Would very successful at it they kind of They kind of hit on a on a formula and

They won le mans multiple times in a row Uh So many of this model Not with this not with well they Certainly did win with this model um but They also they also campaigned very well With c-type and and Earlier even earlier in their in their History Uh but this car was certainly a le mans Winner Not this very car what year was this car Uh we’re calling it a 56 but it overlaps It kind of into 57. it’s titled as a 56 That’s why we call it that but a lot of People uh would would would say that uh It’s 57 but That’s what it says on the paperwork That’s what we’re going with so gorgeous To look at it’s a piece of art it really Is a spectacular looking car if it’s Something that jaguar always seemed to Have going for it was the voluptuousness Of the coach work even even back to the Ss 90 and ss 100 immediately before World war ii there was just something Sensuous something Sinewy about the about the car the Flowing lines the e-type is not that Dissimilar right it still has the same Kind of lines to it the e-type is is a E-type is i would say is an evolution of This it had it has the the very sensuous Bulging fenders they almost look

Muscular uh you know You know using one set of eyes and and Voluptuous using another set of eyes you Know it just it just depends either way It’s got curves in all the right places Beautiful and this particular car Belonged to steve mcqueen this car Belonged to steve mcqueen he actually Bought it second hand uh it was It left the factory white with a red Interior Wow we know that much and It was used uh for for a lot of Different things but it’s documented to Have been used to help lay out the Riverside raceway track Really when they were get when they were Getting close to to to reflecting the Curves and the final uh embankments and Things like that they they use this car To test it because What what better car could there Possibly have been it was exactly the Kind of car that that You would want to experiment with on a Track like that this car has to be Incredibly valuable i i know that There’s very few of them and there’s Been a couple that sold 30 40 million Dollars crazy and that wasn’t steve Mcqueen so who knows what this is worth A lot right Quite a bit quite a bit and the reason It’s worth so much is because what it

Means Um this car is Some people consider it um i’m sure you Would consider it the apex of design And it just didn’t look good it Performed good and it wasn’t didn’t just Perform good it was rare and it was it Was exciting There were 16 of these built there were Supposed to be 25 But there was a fire in the jaguar Factory that consumed nine of the d Types Jaguar had D-type d-type was a Production car if you will jaguar made Them you could buy one and you could Campaign it When they were no longer competitive They were essentially left with with Vehicles that they Um really really couldn’t sell for Racing so jaguar said let’s not just Throw them away let’s adapt them for Road use let’s give them a proper Windshield let’s give them you know kind Of a hint of bumper front and back let’s Give them a spare tire let’s give them a Means to carry luggage So it’s got a luggage rack on the back Let’s give it a a top And and you see that they they didn’t Change much because the gas gas tank is Filled uh from the rear package shelf uh

In other words if the top was up you’d Have to open the door and Put this and put the fuel inside and Fill it from the inside Now when steve mcqueen got this car Uh he didn’t he didn’t like the color Combination but you look at this car now And it it very much in the british idiom It’s british racing green with a black Interior but it wasn’t born that way When it left the factory we believe it Was white with the red interior Steve mcqueen we think justifiably did Not think that that was a very serious Color combination for this kind of car This car was brutal White with a red interior does not Scream brutal it’s the type of spec i Would have ordered white with red Interior Company but we’re talking about steve Mcqueen i know we’re talking about the Coolest guy that some people think ever Lived he’s saying i’m not cool now i Heard that too red with the white would Certainly go with what you have on there We go there you go what i can tell you Is that would have been very important For a concor in the 50s you would have Taken the prize the interior wasn’t just Anybody that did the interior it was a Fellow named tony nancy who was a very Famous hot rodder from the los angeles Area who custom upholstered it for steve

Mcqueen himself and while we’re talking About custom touches i’d like to point Out that this is the only xjs that has a Glove compartment door um the others had Just a hole in the dashboard where you Literally put your gloves when you Weren’t driving the car But When you think of the acceleration uh That this car was capable of if you put Your foot into it What’s ever sitting on the on the Dashboard or whatever in an open glove Go right it’s going to come right out Right you have to think of the g-forces That this car will generate in Acceleration and in the corners and what Is the performance of this car um I have to tell you i I just don’t know okay sorry viewers Yeah but in its day it was ridiculous Well well in a state picture this um Picture yourself driving around los Angeles Um in in a car like this Um In la it’s It’s Really all about getting away from the Stoplight before anybody else can right And not only could this car do that But in la there’s a street called Mulholland It follows along a a a

Mountain range and it has some very Interesting curves to it and there’s Some very nice houses there a lot of Celebrities live there and people say I’m going to do a mulholland uh it means They’re going to take a car out and They’re going to maybe maybe i’m not Going to say flog it but they’re going To test the limits perhaps uh on that on That stretch i’ve never heard that Expression before don’t you do have you Heard that no i haven’t but i like it i Know mulholland very well it’s a scenic Route it’s beautiful road to driver well Yeah i mean Mcqueen had a house up there mcqueen had A house in those hills and um A lot of people wish they did too i’m Sure i’m going to enlist your help i’d Like you to go to the other side Happy to do it And unbuckle The leather buckle All right the leather strap Thanks just like just like a belt indeed Rotate the handle so it’s vertical Pointing upward got you and now help me Lift it Brand new this is a serious engine there Was nothing on this car That it didn’t absolutely Have to have to get down the road to get Around the racetrack to get around the Lamarck course as fast as possible okay

Weber carbs Three weber cars but look how big they Are they’re huge This engine Needed a lot of air and it needed a lot Of fuel i don’t think anybody really Cared about the Amount of fuel it was using that’s not What it was about unreal I mean i didn’t expect it to look like This no i didn’t but there’s a Sculptural quality to it and the whole Idea of the front lifting up is you can Get you can get into any area you need You know quite simply picture yourself At le mans when you’re at a stop you Don’t want to get people undoing Zeus fasteners and taking off a hood you Want something that comes off very very Quickly unbelievable and the suspension Looks so modern for its age It really does one has to consider that A lot of modern innovations exist Because of racing cars They exist because they were found to be A better way of doing it on the track And that’s essentially not every Automotive development because i don’t Think air conditioning had much to do With that are power windows But but when you talk about things like Suspension Braking power Geometry going into the corners

Aerodynamics those things eventually Would end up on your regular production Car and it was In in a way it was kind of a coup for For a manufacturer to have a car like This because if you were buying a jaguar Back in 56 57 You You would think to yourself this is the Beating heart of my car My car has this engine in it or version Of this engine i can pretend I’m see mcqueen for a little while maybe There you go and again you have to have A some people have to have more of Imagination than others to pretend They’re steaming queen but but This absolutely absolutely gorgeous what Is this it looks like the gas filter It’s a it’s a sump it’s for the oil Okay it’s it’s a dry sump system um Because when you’re like a porsche 911 Uh yes yeah yes you could say that and Uh you because in the corners you don’t Want um you want to keep consistent oil Pressure you don’t have to worry about Oil being in in the bottom and worrying About throwing throwing it up uh into The uh To lubricate the cylinders you want it You want positive Um pressure right and then and that’s Kind of what that helps people provide i Know they’re brilliant

I mean that’s a testament to how this Thing must have handled given that They’re worried about getting oil surge And oil stimulation because of just how Hard it could corner how did the doors Open well the doors open let’s let’s Shut the hood and We can just say it down we don’t have to Re-latch it or anything we just sit down Very gently One got in the automobile by reaching Around And grabbing a latch that’s somewhat Hidden Right here keep in mind this is a this Is a racing car if the roof Was up and the door was closed and you Stood outside the car How do you get to the inside of the car To open the door The short answer is you didn’t or if you Really really had to You could unscrew the window and take it Off That’s a little inconvenient that’s a Little that’s a little not many people Wanted to do that but when you have an Xss like this You probably were not going to park it Where you needed the top and the windows Up that’s for rainy weather and this is A fair weather car right and these don’t Open or close they just unscrew right There it’s either all these come off or

They go on right there’s no putting it Halfway down Amazing and this is a trunk of course This is The Kind of the digital trunk it’s really Where the spare tire goes i was about to Say steve mcqueen put his luggage in Here but apparently not see the queen Would have put his luggage here on top This is the luggage carrying Accommodation this is like a brand new Car oh it’s gorgeous mate but what You’ll notice is we like it in this Condition because it’s not perfect it’s Pretty poofy i was gonna say it looks Pretty good it’s very very nice but it’s Got that little tiny bit of patina Because it At the end of the day it’s it’s a race Car it’s a prized boxer in a tuxedo it’s What this car is that’s an interesting Way of a price fighter is it wearing a Tux it’s did you see this michael so you Can jack up the car Oh wow i didn’t notice it it’s a jacking Point you could because you you would Be expected to have to change the tires Right you’re going to scrub off A lot of sidewall In the in the corners if you’re doing it Right the exhaust is extraordinary did You see the exhaust no it did And if you notice the exhaust is only on

One side because the exhaust side of the Engine is on the left it’s on the Driver’s side right um a lot of people Think well shouldn’t it have exhaust on Both sides to eat to even out no intake Is on one side it’s a cross flow head And and the exhaust comes out out the Other and this right here is so you Don’t burn yourself on the exhaust it’s But that would still get pretty hot I wouldn’t lean against it i wouldn’t You know i roll over and you know put my Back on it but uh because it did get hot But it gave you a little bit of little Bit of protection if if it happened that You ever needed it well i’m in love with This car totally totally in love with This car [Music] And leslie once again can’t thank you Enough um my great pleasure thank you Lee Educational to the highest degree and I’m even more in love with it now than i Was when i first saw it so guys hit the Like button hit the subscribe button We’re in it to win it i want this Oh what a dream see ya