Jaguar D-Type 3.4 wide angle head

[Ben Shuckburgh]

Does anyone know whether wide angle heads were fitted to 3.4 customer D's in period and if so when? I believe they were fitted to 3.4 works cars at some point but not sure of when either?

Any ideas?

Thanks

[D-Type]

Despite my user name I don't know much about the details of D-Types.

In Powered by Jaguar, Doug Nye says that the 35/40 head was developed for the works cars in 1955. In one of his books, Paul Skilleter says that the cars sold to Ecurie Ecosse in 1955 which were the first customer or 'production' D-Types did not have the '35/40' heads. In Touch Wood Duncan Hamilton says that the 3.8 litre car he purchased in 1957 did have the wide angle heads, suggesting that he received special treatment.

I think that the customer cars normally didn't have the '35/40' heads. Then when Jaguar withdrew from racing, the heads found their way to favoured customers.