That font and the lack of heritage

One of the main issues I have with the new JaGuar brand is that godawful font. It’s generic and rounded with a random capital “JaGuar”. It looks like something from a child’s toy. It’s feminine and the “leaper” is no longer atop the word Jaguar. The leaping cat is consigned to a strange design pattern elsewhere and the “growler” motif has also gone (insert your own joke).

The new logo/font has nothing to link to JaGuar’s illustrious past and any sense of masculinity or British-ness (admittedly not fashionable in 2024) has been erased. Strange, because when you look at other successful “British” brands like MINI, Bentley or Aston Martin, they are keen to express their British-ness. So JaGuar decided on a generic futuristic font with a random capital letter instead. Great.

That weird video

I don’t mean to deliberately trigger people, but the word “woke” often does. It’s often used when people comment on the new JaGuar brand. It essentially describes a person or thing that is hyper sensitive to social issues, both real and imagined. Usually accompanied by bouts of hysteria, especially if “inclusivity” or “representation “isn’t prioritised.

Well fortunately this “bold” and “brave” (Maybe in c.2005?) video has ticked all the boxes for representation and inclusivity with strangely dressed alien fashion models. No car was visible on the advert, just meaningless buzzwords. I’ve tried to decipher these below:

Copy Nothing – JaGuar has not copied anyone. They are pioneers in the EV space… Not.

Delete Ordinary – Well they deleted comments on Instagram and replied with some very smug and meaningless responses.

Breaking Moulds – More of the same, a generic “bold” & “brave” advert from early 2000s and following other manufacturers into the EV space – so far unremarkable. Not a broken mould in sight.

No wonder it’s caused a reaction. But with sales dwindling, “experts” on twitter are saying the brand needs to be feminine to sell to women. This is possibly the most ridiculous response I’ve heard. Do you think women want stuff because it’s pink and fluffy?

Porsche, Bentley, Aston Martin have all pitched themselves to the female market but have maintained their historic links to the past. They’ve kept similar fonts and styles, the badging has been updated but keeps important elements like the horse on the Porsche badge. Anyway, What’s to say a woman doesn’t want a masculine brand?

The other odd element to this story is the interview with a marketing guy at JaGuar that had setup various new DEI groups within the company. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a business model focused on promoting diversity and reducing discrimination. While this sounds positive, it’s often used to justify increased spending and compliance with specific quotas. Surely that’s a fallacy for the Human Resources to sort out, not the marketing guy?

In summary

The importance of the font and brand cannot be underestimated; Jaguar has no proprietary EV technology, no special batteries or motors. Effectively the same as everyone else (or worse). So common sense would say to lean on your history and heritage; something the Chinese companies can’t do.

And finally I’m critical of this, not because I’m some kind of awful human being, but because I’m a petrolhead (running a car blog passion project) and I love Jaguar and Jaguar’s. The last thing I want is for Jaguar to go down the pan, but it looks that way now.

Further reading:

• Attitude on the rebrand – It’s been called a gay rebrand, so see what Attitude thinks of it
• Marketing Week – Mark Ritson at Marketing Week

Taking cues from the 1978 Pininfarina XJSpider concept car, Keith Helfet would design the F-Type. The range would contain a Coupe/Targa (XJ41) and a convertible (XJ42). Sir William Lyons had retired from Jaguar, but the team took the XJ41 for his approval. Apparently Lyons was fond of Helfet’s work and deemed it worthy of the badge.

Almost a decade later, the XJ41/42 project was bloated with safety legislation and unnecessary complications. A separate dashboard for right and left hand drive cars was decided on, rather than a modular one that could be adapted for both. The design team opted for a big hatched boot rather than the simpler, smaller boot. As the car got bigger and heavier, the engine was changed to a twin turbo straight six with four wheel drive.

While it was apparently very fast with the new engine (easily past 170mph at Nardo) the 1800kg the XJ41 wasn’t the sports car Jaguar intended to be.

When Ford took over Jaguar in 1999 projects were reviewed. The expensive and delayed XJ 41/42 project came under close scrutiny. The XJ41 had turned from a small lightweight sports car into another XJS.

Employees booked a lot of overtime against the project so Ford put it on hold. Jaguar was in a precarious financial situation, so had no choice but to go along with Ford’s recommendation.

Another Chance?

Tom Walkinshaw at Jaguarsport (part TWR part Jaguar owned sub company) saw an opportunity with the XJ41 and attempted to get Peter Stevens to re-design it. While this didn’t come to fruition due to Steven’s workload, Walkinshaw contacted Ian Callum instead. The XJ41 was redesigned and presented to Jaguar. The XJ41 was turned down again, due to the company’s precarious financial position.

The Jaguar Changes Its Spots

When Ford started looking at building a new Aston Martin, the XJ41 project seemed to be the obvious contender. Ian Callum’s redesigned XJ41 became Aston Martin’s new DB7.

Revealed at the Geneva show in 1993, the Aston Martin DB7 received a rapturous reception. The complicated bloodline of the DB7 could be traced right back to a car intended to replace the legendary E-Type. The DB7 was launched in 1994 and its strong sales enabled Aston Martin to grow as a brand under Ford.

The Corsica was built as a styling exercise by the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team. The Corsica was based on the X300 platform with the standard 4 litre straight six engine. The interior is adapted from XK8 and XJS parts. The roof mechanism is fully functioning too, which took significant effort from the SVO team.

Constructed over 18 months, the mechanics of the car weren’t finished until 2006. The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club (JEC) and the Jaguar Heritage Trust worked with the Nottingham based Jaguar specialist David Mark’s to complete the car. Additional strengthening was added around the transmission tunnel and key areas to ensure the body remained rigid without the roof. New front and rear subframes completed the car and made it easier to move to different shows and museums.

The Corsica was a beautiful car and showed how flexible the X300 platform was. Jaguar had often experimented with different bodystyles on both the XJ40 and X300 platforms; sadly only the saloon or long wheelbase options were ever put into production, leaving the Corsica and XJ40 coupe as handsome concepts that would never be available for sale.

Whether the Corsica wasn’t practical to build or Jaguar were worried about cannibalizing sales of the then new XK8 convertible, it’s difficult to say. Like the XJ40 coupe before it, the Corsica would be a reminder of what could have been.

More about the Daimler Corsica can be found on the official Heritage Motor museum site. Photography & information on the process of preparing for Single Vehicle Approval (SVA) is available on David Mark’s website.

The Jaguar C-X75 is a (now cancelled) hybrid supercar that made use of Williams F1 and Jaguar racing technology. It would have been the first Jaguar supercar since the Jaguar XJ220 in 1992.

Performance was expected to be circa 888 BHP and 0-100mph in around 6 seconds. Initially 250 models were planned with some earmarked for racing. The C-X75 was intended to display Jaguar’s prowess with new technology in a cutting edge sports car.

Developed as an homage to the classic racing Jaguars of the 1950s and 60s, this sleek supercar echoes the old XJ13, E-Type, D-Type and XJ220. The technology and mechanics are all focused firmly on the future.

Performance and Design 

The Jaguar C-X75 is powered by an all aluminium 1.6 litre petrol four cylinder. The engine was both turbocharged and supercharged to generate an astonishing 500 bhp at 10,000 rpm. Duel 194 bhp electric motors are fitted front and rear, powered by the 19kWh lithium battery just behind the drivers seat. The combined engines are mated to an 7-speed automated manual transmission. The electric engines were Jaguar’s own design and were lighter and more powerful than what was available to be bought in.

Jaguar C-X75 Gallery

Technology & Unique Features 

Unsurprisingly the CX75 boasts impressive tech features like the bonded carbon fibre chassis developed using expertise from Williams Advanced Technology. Also included was Jaguar’s “brake regeneration” technology which converts kinetic energy from braking into electricity stored in its battery pack which can be used later to boost acceleration or power accessories like headlights or AC units. The car originally had range extending gas micro turbine engines, but these were left off the final specification.       

C-X75 Cancellation

The project was cancelled in December 2012 due to the global economic crisis. Caterham and Lotus both cancelled projects at this time, reflecting the difficulty in timing the launch of a niche sports car.

The following year the so-called holy trinity of hyper cars were launched. The Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Spyder and McLaren P1 all appeared as limited edition supercars. Could the C-X75 have made it four?

The imminent launch of those cars may have influenced Jaguar’s decision to cancel the project. Even without a final car to show for the work on the C-X75, Jaguar representatives were certain that technology and learnings from the car would be carried over to Jaguar road cars.

Legacy of the Jaguar C-X75

While the cancellation of the C-X75 was disappointing, Jaguar felt it couldn’t launch an expensive super car during the global economic crisis. Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren would beg to disagree and all three launched their respective pièce de résistance the following year.

Jaguar had previous bad luck when the XJ220 super car was launched at the start of the 1990s recession. This left the company with cars it couldn’t sell, so perhaps this influenced the cautious decision to cancel the C-X75.

The C-X75 was never tested without Jaguar engineers on hand, so detail on how it drives is sparse. Autocar was very complimentary about the C-X75 and not just the straight line performance, but the way the car drove too.

It’s great that manufacturers want the experience of driving a car to remain fun and interactive even with pressure on emissions and carbon. The key aims of the project were incredibly ambitious, with the following benchmarks comparable.

While it was cancelled, the C-X75 is a fascinating look into the future of hybrid sports cars and what we can expect. For power, fun and emissions, the CX-75 excelled on paper at least. I hope Jaguar can launch a car with some of it’s traits soon.

The Jaguar F-Type Concept (2000) was a developed version of the XK180, as the company sought to make the car production viable. This is the second in our series of Jaguar concept cars you (sadly) cannot buy, as they were never actually produced.

The XK180 had a superb response from the motoring press, but was only built to generate publicity, even though it was fully working which was rare for a concept car. I am of the opinion that the XK180 was intended for production, I think a limited edition sports car wasn’t what Jaguar needed.

Jaguar then began to investigate a production model that would satisfy the demand the XK180 had created. The designer responsible for the follow up would be Keith Helfet, who had designed the earlier XK180.

The F-Type was to be a clean sheet design, this meant less of the constraints of having to work with an adapted platform. Free of the restriction of the XK8 platform, Helfet designed the F-Type to be smaller and more lithe. While the platform was bespoke, the car was deliberately built to house the AJ V6 engine already in use in the S and X-Type cars. This would give the new F-Type a range of proven engines.

First revealed at the Detroit Auto show in 2000, the F-Type had an excellent response and Jaguar representatives said the car would be on sale in 2002. Getting the car to production would prove more of a challenge. The design Director Ian Callum, suggested a mid engine layout to maintain the cars pretty lines. In the end Jaguar decided to focus it’s effort on diesel engines and the project was mothballed.

I think it’s one of the most coherent and beautiful concept cars ever; I’m sure it would have been a highly successful car if it was launched. The concept car can be found at the Heritage Museum in Gaydon, UK. More information here.

The Jaguar XK180 concept (1999) is the first in our series about Jaguar’s habit of creating some really desirable concept cars they never put into production. Designed by Keith Helfet, the designer of the XJ220 and XK41/42. Project XKD was a sports car based on a shortened XK8 platform. The XK180 was built to celebrate 50 years of the XK sports cars.

Jaguar XK180 Never To Be Sold

Nick Scheele the chairman and Managing Director of Jaguar unveiled the XK180 at the Paris Salon in 1998. Scheele explained that while the XK180 was built to celebrate 50 years of the XK cars, it would not be sold. The technology on the car, like the large brakes, supercharged engine, alloy wheels and suspension components would be used on future Jaguars.

While a sensational looking car, Jaguar already had the more mainstream XK8 sports car range. The prospect of an expensive limited edition sports car might have worried Ford, after the issues around the XJ220. There were still a few XJ220’s on delivery mileage in 1998, so I’m sure Ford didn’t want to add to this exotic but costly collection.

A Working Concept Car

It’s interesting that Scheele said the car would never be built, because the concept car itself was fully functioning (see video below). Usually a concept car it just that, no real substance beneath what you can see. Jaguar’s Special Vehicles Operations (SVO) department had built two XK180s that both worked. I wonder if the XK180 was intended for production after all?

The XK180 used the floor pan from the XK8 sports car, with 20cm trimmed from the front and rear overhangs and about 13cm from the wheelbase. The engine and gearbox was from the XK8, the engine was the supercharged 4 litre. The gearbox was modified with up and down gearshift buttons. The aluminium bodywork was done by Abbey Panels, a company which did the coachwork on the 1950s C and D type racers, and later the XJ13.

The XK180 design clearly takes some of the cues from the old XJ13 and D-Type. The curved windscreen and bonnet louvres in particular mirror that of the XJ13.

The taut lines look timeless and elegant, a fitting 50th anniversary for the XK cars. The Jaguar XK180 would later be developed into the first F-Type project. More can be found on the XK180 on the Jaguar Heritage site.

Starting at Jaguar in 1961 as an apprentice for 5 years, Winterbottom worked another 5 years in William Lyons’ design department as a designer. The major project he worked on was the XJ-21, which never made it past prototype stage. He also designed a wheel nave plate for the XJ6.

At the age of 22, Winterbottom received the “Grifo Argento” at the Bertone design awards.

Moving to Lotus in 1971, Winterbottom worked under Colin Chapman on Design and Safety engineering. The Lotus Elite MK2 and Lotus Eclat were both designed by Winterbottom. During this timeframe, Winterbottom help Chapman with his JCL Boat business, designing the JCL Mamba and JCL Mistral.

Moving To TVR & Back To Lotus

In 1980 Oliver Winterbottom moved onto TVR where he worked under Martin Lilley on the TVR Tasmin. Winterbottom adopted a similar wedge style as the Lotus Eclat. In 1981 Lotus approached Winterbottom to help with the design of the M90/X100 project, a car that was intended to be a cheaper, more mass market Lotus with a Toyota engine. It was intended to complement the Excel and Esprit models.

When Colin Chapman died unexpectedly in 1982, funding for the project dried up and the project was put on indefinite hold. Only one example of the M90/X100 would be built and this is the above prototype. The Lotus Elan (M100) would pick up the mantle of the “entry level” Lotus a few years later in 1989. While unrelated, the “new” Elan had an outsourced engine and gearbox from Isuzu. Perhaps the M90/X100 project helped the company realise the potential of outsourcing?

“I was proud of all of them!”

Oliver Winterbottom on the cars he designed over the years

After Lotus, Winterbottom moved to the US to work in Detroit for General Motors. After a period of time he decided to move back to England and secured another position at Lotus, helping with the safety on the new Esprit and managing projects. His last stint of employment was as a consultant where he worked with mainly Chinese companies.

A Life In Car Design

Winterbottom’s autobiographical book “A life in car design” recalls his work on different cars throughout his career and the often chaotic process behind the scenes. Winterbottom is in rare position to comment on the motor industry having spent a great deal of time at Jaguar, TVR and Lotus. The stories of budget problems, issues with management and the start of computer-aided design all add to a fascinating read – that despite some of the problems, is intended to encourage students into the product & car design path.

They began to rebody the Austin Seven and created the Austin Seven and produced around 12 a week. In 1928 after outgrowing factories in Blackpool, Lyons moved the company and his family to Coventry.

Production reached 50 cars a week and invested in a new model, the SS1 which went on sale in 1931. In 1933 The company name was changed to SS Cars Ltd. Walmsley left shortly after.

Jaguar – Newly Named

After World War II to avoid any association with the Schutzstaffel Nazi military, the company name was changed again, to Jaguar. Named after a particularly successful aircraft engine produced by Armstrong Siddeley a fellow Coventrian car and aerospace manufacturer. In 1948 the XK series of cars was launched, these became an overnight sensation. The straight six engine powered Jaguars until 1971, when the V12 featured in the series 3 E-Type.

Sir William Lyons was very hands on with the styling of Jaguars despite having no background in this area. Working with full size models, his loyal engineering team worked to interpret his ideas.

Malcolm Sayer was left to design the C and D-Type racers, where his aerospace knowledge helped with the aerodynamics – a critical part of the design. Lyons respected this and would only get involved in road cars.

He worked closely with Keith Helfet. Helfet described his design mentality as a “Frustrated sculptor”.

Sir William Lyons Home – Wappenbury Hall

Often referred to as “Mr. Jaguar” Sir William Lyons requested that prototype cars were delivered to Wappenbury Hall so he and his wife Greta could cast their final opinion before the car reached production. In the stable blocks of Wappenbury Hall there are still marks on the floor where engine blocks were left for various prototype cars.

His time at Jaguar had been incredible eventful with continued success at Le Mans (1955, 1956 & 1957 with the D-Type alone) being knighted as “Sir William Lyons” in 1956. Plus all the successful road cars from XK120 to E-Type.

British Leyland & Nationalisation

With strengthening competitors Lyons merged Jaguar with British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1966 in order to keep the company from being bought. BMC was later incorporated into British Leyland two years later. The first car produced was the XJ6, a luxurious saloon, which initially helped get the merger deal with BMC over the line.

As time went on it became clear British Leyland had not rationalised the product range quick enough. Brands all under British Leyland ownership cannibalised their own sales. Austin, Morris and MG cars competed with Triumph sports cars. Large Rover saloons competed with Jaguar saloons. Internal politics were such that rival marques would attempt to sabotage each others efforts. Austin and Morris made for particularly bad stablemates with regular disputes.

Retirement

Lyons went on to be chairman of Jaguar in 1967. This was a difficult time for Jaguar under British Leyland. Internal politics, regular disputes and losing the independence he sought for Jaguar resulted in his retirement in 1972.

In 1975 British Leyland were losing huge amounts of money and were subsequently bailed out by the UK government. Jaguar would later be transformed by John Egan in 1980. During this time, in spite of being retired, Sir William would often be involved in reviewing prototype cars from Wappenbury Hall. The XJS and XJ40 would be reviewed in this way – and after all the cars he helped produced, his favourite remained the 1968 XJ6 – His masterpiece.

Excellent further reading on Sir William Lyons method.

The Saturday Club

By the late 1980s Jaguar were independent of British Leyland, they had formed the Jaguar car holding company along with Daimler. Free of the bureaucracy of British Leyland (where Jaguar were almost made to precede model names with “BL” and use Rover engines), Jaguar was finally able to focus on its own future.

The Head of Engineering, Jim Randall had drawn up some ambitious plans for a supercar over Christmas in the late 1980s. This may have been inspired by the XJR9 winning Le Mans in 1988. The forthcoming FIA Group B class in the World Endurance Championship inspired cars like the Ferrari 288 GTO and Porsche 959. Randall wanted the XJ220 to compete as well.

“What a lot of people won’t know is that it was meant to be a racing car. In the early 1980s, the FIA announced that there would be a Group B class in the World Endurance Championship, which would complement Group C. Ultimately, only two manufacturers ever built cars – Ferrari, with the 288GTO, and Porsche with the 959. And even then the Ferrari never raced”

Keith Helfet – XJ220 Designer (Quote)

Randall’s idea was to combine Jaguar’s excellent V12 with active aero and four wheel drive. Dubbed the “220” after its targeted top speed, The idea was shared with the “Saturday club”. This group of Jaguar employees, so called because they met up on Saturdays to work on unofficial projects.

Keith Helfet was brought in to create aerodynamic bodywork to house the high tech mechanicals. Small scale clay sculptures were used to portray the car in three dimensions. A full scale wooden buck was also used, which was rebuilt when Helfet managed to reduce the length of the design by 2 feet… A rolling version of the car was readied for the motorshow.

Concept Car & Motorshow Speculators

The prototype of the XJ220 appeared at the motor show in Birmingham in 1988. This just a few months after winning Le Mans with the XJR9. Boasting a 6.2 litre 500BHP V12, bonded aluminium chassis, integrated roll cage, four-wheel drive, ABS and four wheel steering, the XJ220 caused an instant sensation. Deposits of £50,000 were placed at the show and many speculators put down deposits, hoping to sell the car for a profit later on. After the debut of the new supercar, Jaguar were confident the XJ220 was a feasible project and could compete with competition from the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 (which appeared at the show alongside the new Jaguar). According to those attending, the other stands all cleared once the Jaguar was revealed. The show was a massive success – Jaguar just needed to start production of the XJ220 now.

”It was important to me that the car should continue the strong Jaguar marque identity and I wanted an evolutionary link [Malcolm Sayer/Sir William Lyons]”

Keith Helfet – XJ220 Designer

TWR, Le Mans & The XJR9

TWR and Jaguar formed JaguarSport to take charge of the XJ220 project. Ex racing driver and boss of TWR, Tom Walkinshaw deemed the concept car too heavy, large and complex. As a result the production car differed greatly from the prototype.

JaguarSport decided against the complex four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering mechanics. This cut down the cars weight and complexity significantly. 

With increasingly tight emission laws and the big V12 unable to generate more than 500BHP, the less glamorous but more powerful 3.5L V6 was chosen. This was similar to the engine used in Metro 6R4 rally car. The XJ220 was now lighter, shorter and more powerful. Helfet was able to shorten the design further, making the car a more practical thing to drive.

Statistically the V6 was the better engine but the V12 had real motorsport heritage having been fitted to the Le Mans winning XJR9. While the V6 did feature in the later XJR10 race car it didn’t have the success or glamour associated with the V12. The V6 engine was road tested in a Ford Transit van which has become famous in its own right.

During tyre testing in Houston Texas in 1991, XJ220 registration “220 VAN” was driven to a measured 217mph in the hands of Le Mans driver Andy Wallace. The Jaguar XJ220 was the fastest car in the world in 1991. However this wasn’t independently verified so unofficial. Another unofficial time was recorded at the Nurburgring. John Nielsen, a Le Mans winning driver managed a 7:46 lap in a prototype XJ220.

XJR15

JaguarSport was building another car at the same time as the XJ220. The XJR15 was essentially the XJR9 racing car with road car bodywork. It wasn’t a ground up design like the XJ220, so would be completed sooner and in more limited numbers (53). The XJR15 would be produced in 1990 coming to the end of production in 1992 as the XJ220 started. While an incredibly special car, it complicated the XJ220’s start in life, being such a similar car.

Jaguar XJ220 Production Begins

JaguarSport had finished building the XJR15 and started on the XJ220 with its revised specification. Some customers and speculators had already asked for their deposits back. The recession in the early 1990s may have been partially responsible for this. Perhaps some of these customers found themselves buying the rarer XJR15 instead with its clear motorsport lineage and raw driving experience. Both probably had a bearing on the situation.

The XJ220 sold 282 models during its production run between 1992 and 1994. Occasionally very low mileage cars appear for sale, usually as a result of speculators trying to cash in. One was even hidden in a carpet shop in Wales as a business investment. It was later sold as part of the company liquidation.

“Savage acceleration really is a given here. What’s really incredible about the XJ220 is its ability to provide such performance in a way that never, ever intimidates”

Andrew Frankel – Autocar

Conclusion

There is no doubt the XJ220 is an incredible creation. A series of black swan events conspired against the XJ220 from the outset. Economic turmoil and the launch of legendary competitors from Porsche and Ferrari was just the start.

The change in specification hindered the big Jaguar. It didn’t have the Le Mans motorsport lineage, that was now with the XJR15. The Jaguar was launched at c.£400,000 around double the price of the Ferrari F40. The recession had calmed any speculation on supercar prices which left the XJ220 looking very expensive.

Another black swan event appeared in 1992 when the legendary McLaren F1 debuted. The F1 raised the stakes yet again in the supercar world.

Jaguar entered an all-new car into the Group C Le Mans race in 1988. This car was the XJR9 LM. The distinctive purple and white colour and faired in rear arches hid a powerful and efficient racing car. The aerodynamic bodywork, lightweight design and normally aspirated 7L V12 (Based on the XJS V12) gave the car an astonishing turn of speed. Jaguars main rival at Le Mans was Porsche, with their powerful 962C. TWR boss Tom Walkinshaw had promised Jaguar a win at Le Mans, so there was huge pressure to succeed.

Jaguar vs Porsche

The Jaguar was well ahead of its time in both design and construction. The car had a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, the Porsche 962C had folded aluminium. A key feature of the Jaguar is the aerodynamics. Along with the faired in rear wheels, the car had another groundbreaking feature. The short, cut off design was unlike any other car at Le Mans, other cars had a long tail design designed to keep down force levels up without generating drag. Porsche had numerous stability problems with their notorious 917 “Short Tail” racecar and the newer 962C had a standard long tail in stark contrast to the abrupt form of the XJR9.

Porsche kept the long tail design after drivers complained of the old 917’s tendency to lose grip through lack of downforce at very high speeds. Some drivers deliberately over revved the engine of the 917 to force the car out of the race; such was its dangerous nature.

The Jaguar design used a cut off rear and low mounted aerofoil to allow the downforce and ground effects of the rear venturi system to act together.

The V12 started as the 5.3L V12 from the XJS. Rebored to 7L the V12 produced about 700bhp giving the car a top speed of 246mph.

“In a straight line it (Jaguar XJR9) makes modern Le Mans cars seem very tame indeed”

Andy Wallace – Jaguar works driver

The Rival Porsche 962C

The main rival of this Jaguar was the Porsche 962C, with a turbocharged flat six had over 800bhp, trumping the Jaguars 700bhp. Porsche increased the boost for qualifying enabling them to start in better positions than Jaguar. Once the race started and the Porsche cars had boost turned down, the Jaguars began to overtake.

The Porsche 962C was the closest rival the XJR9 had, but due to the turbocharged engine, used more fuel, so the race was even, with the cars overtaking one another constantly. The Jaguars superior down-force allowed quicker entry and exit speeds through a corner but slowed the car on the straights. The 962C was the opposite, meaning the cars were close throughout the race.

Victory for the Jaguar XJR9

Jaguars stunning victory ended a 7 year reign for Porsche at Le Mans, an incredible achievement that justified the evolution of the XJR series of racing cars.

Jaguar was also successful in sports car racing in 1988 taking the World Championship with wins in 6 out of 10 Group C races. The Le Mans victory was repeated in 1990 with the XJR-12 which came first and second. Another world championship went to Jaguar in 1991 with a second place finish at Le Mans. In 1993 an XJ220C also won the GT class at Le Mans, the most recent of Jaguar’s success at the Sarthe circuit.

Jaguar XJR9 From Race Car To Road Car

Tom Walkinshaw later used the carbon tub and chassis of the XJR9 as the basis of the XJ15 Road car. This used a new bodyshell, again made from Carbon fibre and featured a detuned version of the race V12.