The wide angle head was an option for factory D-Types. They enlarged the valves to such a stage that they would not fit in the standard head, so they had to increase the angle of the exhaust valves. The up side was that this gave a big increase in both torque and horsepower, mainly from the better breathing through the bigger valves. The down side was that the bigger and heavier valves imposed a very strict rev limit of 5500rpm with valve bounce and breakages above that limit. For 1956 this was a great breakthrough but remember this was almost 50 years ago. This technology is very much obsolete these days, like the old Moss gearboxes. In reality we can get much better horsepower from an E-Type head or similar without the rev limitation. In fact modern racing technology has seen power outputs of close to 400bhp from highly modified Jaguar engines." In summary, a wide angle head was a fascinating answer to the technical limitations of the period. The days real ones (or reproductions) are very hard to find, are prohibitively expensive and make little difference to the performance of the car. If a customer wishes to fit a wide angle head to his Tempero car we suggest that he first discuss the matter with his Tempero Reseller before committing himself to such a major expense. The original D-Types were fitted with dry sumps with a holding tank on the left bulkhead with a quick-flip filler lid. They had the scavenger pump inside the sump which proved to be very unreliable and hard to service. The main reason for dry sumps was that the racing engines burned so much oil that the standard sump couldn't carry enough, so they ran with their own reservoir of oil. The second reason was to avoid oil surge on the very tight circuits which would lead to frothing of the oil and failure of the bearings. The Tempero D-Types are all fitted with the correct oil reservoir and flip filler lid which is plumbed in as a crankcase ventilator. However, it is possible to fit a true dry sump system if the customer requires it. A major service problem is having the pump inside the engine. Jaguar's racing team didn't mind pulling the sump off all the time to get at the pump but this is hardly practical for modern racers. A solution is to fit an after market external scavenger pump together with the appropriate gearing and plumbing. This pump would be unobtrusive as it is well down in the bowels of the engine bay and could be covered with a discrete panel. On the racing Jaguars the sump itself was much reduced in depth, basically just an oil pan. The Tempero solution includes supplying a cast sump that exactly replicates the original. Buyers should note that the dry sump option can only be specified at time of order as it would be a costly and difficult thing to fit to an existing car. Please remember that in all technical matters we can offer specifications that a re either as close as possible to the original factory specification or upgraded to meet modern standards of safety, performance and comfort. In all events, any technical request from a customer can be quoted on and accommodated as long as we are advised at the time of order.