Jaguar does not build many cars like the Jaguar XKSS: a Roadster with 3.4L Jaguar XK6 engine I6, built from 1957 to 2017 at the height of the post-war boom.
The story
The Jaguar XKSS is a road-going version of the Jaguar D-Type racing car, initially built in 1957. Only 16 were built and sold at the time. Nine chassis were destroyed in a factory fire in 1957 before they could be completed. In 2016 Jaguar announced that a small production run of nine "continuation" XKSS reproductions would be hand-built to the original specifications to complete the originally scheduled run of 25.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 3.4L Jaguar XK6 engine I6. Kerb weight is 921 kg. The gearbox is a 4 speed manual. The wheelbase is 2300 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Jaguar's history is not in doubt: the Jaguar E-Type followed it; it was built at Coventry, United Kingdom. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Skyline, the Fiat 500, the Mini Mini. Nearby in the Jaguar catalogue sit the F-Type and the Vanden Plas.
The money
EPA combined economy is 19 mpg, about $4,450 a year in fuel at the EPA's assumptions. Condition, mileage and specification move any single car a long way from a headline figure.