New Jaguar D-Type Posters From INK Are Now Available In The Shop

The trio of D-Type posters (shown in their full proportion at the bottom of this page) from INK Studio can be purchased individually here, in the Petrolicious Shop 

While the might of Jaguar is more or less absent from today’s circuits in any factory-backed capacity save for a recent futuristic plunge into Formula E, the marque’s past presence in motorsport is one of the most storied and widely applauded in Britain and the wider world. With decades of fielding successful racing efforts in all kinds of series in the past, the move into the burgeoning electric competition heralds what we hope will be a broader return to form. If, however, this proves to be more marketing stunt than not—but really, isn’t this true of all racing, at its core?—the depths of the brand’s history on track is far from exhaustively plumbed.

When we look back on Jaguar’s vast accomplishments in the sport, one car stands out in particular, its dramatic dorsal fin rising proudly above the rest.

When introduced in 1954 for the great French test of endurance, the Jaguar D-Type was immediately recognized as a pioneering achievement in motor racing, even though the podium’s top spot eluded the cars upon their debut. Regardless, the radical form of the Jag worked with the wind to reach speeds far in excess of its competitors on the telescopic straightaways of the Circuit de la Sarthe, signaling just how formidable the car would be once it matured through the growing pains typical of cutting-edge racing cars.

Featuring an early utilization of monocoque construction, a dry-sump lubrication system, an ultra-slick coefficient of drag thanks to the incorporation of aeronautical knowledge gained in WWII, a bladder-type fuel tank, four-wheel disc brakes, and that distinctive Piscean stabilizing fin, the car was a veritable grove of what was in store for the future of prototype sports car racing.

Adding (though it feels wrong to lend any words with positive connotations to such a horrific day), to the allure of the D-Type, the Jag’s sophomore year victory in 1955 came in the wake of the infamous tragedy that saw its potent rival Mercedes concede after Pierre Levegh’s SLR went off-track and took 84 lives. However, the D-Type’s subsequent overall wins in 1956 and 1957 proved its mettle and erased any doubts of its prowess, authenticating the car’s champion status earned on that grim afternoon in 1955.

Beyond the aptitude of the Jaguar’s racing endeavors, the car is just supremely pretty as an object; take the engine out and remove the wheels and it looks like it belongs underwater or in the air more so than the hard tarmac it was designed to conquer, and INK’s rendered body-in-white posters of the ultimate Jaguar racer do justice to its enduring appeal, not only as a manifestation of visionary engineering, but as standalone sculpture.

Featuring an assortment of three posters with a deftly-handled, stark minimalist style, INK captures the slick shape of the D-Type in a way that drives all the attention to the car itself. Backdrops aren’t a bad thing of course, but these beautiful isolations offer a powerful statement on the car’s ability to command attention all on its own. One would be forgiven in guessing these were photographs, but in fact these are computer-generated reconstructions of the iconic fin-tailed roadster, and the accuracy is faultless. A perfect mix of modern technology and timelessness. The triplet of D-Types is now available for purchase in the Petrolicious Shop, alongside more of INK Studio’s treatments of the other bastions of vintage motorsport.