The most expensive Jaguar ever sold is the 1955 D-Type chassis XKD 501, the 1956 Le Mans winner, which brought $21.78 million at RM Sotheby’s in Monterey in August 2016. As of October 2026 that record still stands. Below are the five highest verified Jaguar auction prices, followed by what the more modern cars, including the XJ220, fetch today.
| Rank | Jaguar | Price (USD) | Sale date | Sold at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1955 D-Type, chassis XKD 501 | $21.78 million | August 2016 | RM Sotheby’s, Monterey |
| 2 | 1957 XKSS, chassis XKSS 707 | $13.2 million | August 2023 | RM Sotheby’s, Monterey |
| 3 | 1953 C-Type Works Lightweight, XKC 052 | $13.2 million | August 2015 | RM Auctions, Monterey |
| 4 | 1963 E-Type Lightweight Competition | About $8 million | August 2017 | Bonhams, Carmel |
| 5 | 1960 E2A prototype | About $4.96 million | August 2008 | Bonhams, Carmel |
1. D-Type XKD 501: $21.78 million
This car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1956, driven by Ron Flockhart and Ninian Sanderson for the Scottish team Ecurie Ecosse. It covered 2,507 miles at an average of just over 104 mph. It was also the first production D-Type, dispatched to the team in May 1955, and the lot listing calls it the only Le Mans-winning C-Type or D-Type that survives intact. After the team, a financier and then Sir Michael Nairn owned it, and Nairn restored it to 1956 Le Mans trim in 1970. The car took a Pebble Beach class award in 2002 before the 2016 sale. We used the hammer plus buyer’s premium from the lot result.
2. XKSS 707: $13.2 million
Jaguar built the XKSS by taking unsold D-Types and giving them a windscreen, a passenger door and some chrome. A factory fire in February 1957 destroyed nine of the planned 25, so roughly 16 exist. This one went to California, passed through a handful of owners including Anthony Bamford, and ran in the first historic race at Le Mans in 1978. It sold for $13.205 million in August 2023, premium included. The sale page describes it as one of the most original XKSS cars left.
3. C-Type Works Lightweight: $13.2 million
The C-Type was Jaguar’s first purpose-built race car, and 53 were made. The Works Lightweight is the rarer, factory-prepared variant, and chassis XKC 052 sold at Monterey in August 2015 for $13.2 million. Our number rests on the published records list for the sale, as the auction house results are not easy to retrieve in full.
4. E-Type Lightweight: about $8 million
Jaguar planned 18 of these competition E-Types and reportedly built a dozen. A 1963 example went under the hammer in August 2017 for about $8 million. Another Lightweight is reported to have made $7.37 million at an Arizona sale earlier that year, so $7 million to $8 million is the working range for a genuine car.
5. E2A: about $4.96 million
E2A was the 1960 prototype that fed the E-Type story: it raced at Le Mans and was shipped to Briggs Cunningham in America. It went to Roger Woodley, Jaguar’s competition car manager, on the understanding that it would not be raced again. At Bonhams in August 2008 it made about $4.96 million. That is a 2008 price, so we think a repeat sale would land well above it.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
The top of the Jaguar table has not moved since 2016, but the modern end has. In August 2026 a Silverstone Green XJ220 with 3,277 miles from new sold for £506,250, a new UK auction record for the model, according to the sale report. In late 2025 a road-going D-Type sold in Zürich for CHF 5.18 million (about $6.4 million), just under the low estimate.
The cars on the old version of this list were a different sort of cheap. The XJ13, the 1966 V12 prototype, was never sold publicly, so any figure floating around for it is a guess. A 1973 factory rebuild after a 1971 crash is all that remains of the original car. The F-Type “concept” price on the old list also does not refer to a real sale.
The XJ220 story in one paragraph
The XJ220 shows how the same badge can mean very different money. Jaguar showed the concept in 1988 and took roughly 281 deposits of £50,000 each. By the time the production car arrived in 1992 it had a twin-turbo V6 instead of the promised V12, and the early-1990s recession had hit supercar demand. Some buyers tried to walk away, and by 1995 there was legal action. Production stopped in 1994 at 281 cars. Today a good one is a six-figure car, and the August 2026 record shows how far its reputation has recovered.
What drives these prices
- Le Mans. Jaguar D-Types won the race in the 1950s, and cars with that history carry a premium that road cars rarely match.
- Tiny numbers. Sixteen XKSS, about a dozen Lightweight E-Types: the supply cannot grow.
- Originality. The more of the original body, engine and chassis is left, the more a car sells for.
- Auction timing. Almost every record here happened in August in Monterey, when buyers fly in to bid.
FAQ
What is the most expensive Jaguar ever sold?
The 1955 D-Type chassis XKD 501, which won Le Mans in 1956, at $21.78 million in August 2016.
How much is a Jaguar XKSS worth?
An original XKSS sold for $13.2 million in 2023. Hand-built continuation cars are far cheaper: one sold for $1.985 million in 2020.
What is the most expensive Jaguar E-Type?
The competition E-Type Lightweight, which has sold for around $7 million to $8 million. Regular road-going E-Types sell for much less.
What did the Jaguar XJ220 sell for recently?
A low-mileage UK car made £506,250 in August 2026, a UK auction record for the model.
Was the Jaguar XJ13 ever sold?
We found no public sale on record. The car in Jaguar’s heritage collection is a 1973 rebuild after a crash in 1971.
Why do Jaguar race cars cost so much more than road cars?
Race history, low numbers and documented ownership. A Le Mans winner is a one-off, while road cars were built in the thousands.
How we put this list together
We ranked cars by verified auction price, including the buyer’s premium where stated, and compiled auction results into an internal valuation model. Prices are approximate and change over time.
Keep reading
Last updated: October 2026.
