Why would you exactly recreate something designed in the 1950s and then charge almost $2 million for it?
British car maker Jaguar has, and New Zealand has the first one well, sort of.
Designed in the '50s, built this year, and now in New Zealand, this Jaguar XKSS is brand new, yet very old.
"This is the first ever super car, based on the car that won Le Mans. We turned it into a road-legal car, the first super car - incredible product," says John Edwards, managing director at Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations.
It's the history that makes it so desirable. Jaguar's D-type dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the mid-'50s, so the car company wanted a road version.
There were 25 commissioned but a factory fire in 1957 meant nine were never built - until now. Sixty years on, Jaguar is finishing the order.
Michael Giltrap, from Giltrap Motor Group, has the first one shipped out of the factory.
"Very hard to say no when there is only nine of them. And it's pretty cool when they say Steve McQueen owned one," he says.
Apart from a modern battery and fuel tank, this new car is exactly the same - 2000 rivets, and no power steering or brakes.
Jaguar classic technician Phil Harwood knows; he built it.
"Shame to see it go out the door after three months, but to see the smiles on people's faces and the sound when they are driving it, totally worth it," he says.
It takes 10,000 man-hours to build just one car, hence the price tag.
If you think $1.7 million for a car that stays mostly in the garage is a bit steep, consider it an investment. The originals built in the '50s now sell for $17 million.
But if you would like one of the new old ones, sorry. Nine are being made and all have been bought.
This one is the only Jag coming to the Southern Hemisphere.
Newshub.
