Jaguar XJ13
Encyclopedia
The Jaguar XJ13 was a prototype racing car developed by Jaguar to challenge at Le Mans
in the mid-1960s.
It never raced, and only one was ever produced. The car has not been officially valued, but a £7 million ($11 million) bid for it was declined by the owners in 1996.
The idea of a mid-engined prototype was first mooted in 1960, but it was not until 1965 that construction began, with the first car running by March 1966. The aluminium body was designed by Malcolm Sayer
, the aerodynamicist responsible for the Jaguar C-type
, D-type
, E-type
and XJS
, who used his Bristol Aeroplane Company
background to build it using techniques borrowed from the aircraft industry . The task of building the car was entrusted to Bob Blake - described by his contemporaries as "An Artist in Metal".
The XJ13 had mid-engine
format with the 5.0 litre V12 engine
mounted behind the driver, used as a stressed chassis member together with the five-speed manual ZF Transaxle
driving the rear wheels.
The front suspension wishbones were similar to that of the E-Type, however where the E-Type used longitudinal torsion bars, the XJ13 had more conventional coil spring/damper units. At the rear there again remained similarities with the E-Type—the use of driveshafts as upper transverse links—however the rest was quite different, with two long radius arms per side angling back from the central body tub together with a single fabricated transverse lower link.
The development of the XJ13, although treated seriously by the designers, was never a priority for company management (despite assistant MD Lofty England's
Le Mans
success in the 1950s), and became less so following the 1966 merger with BMC
. By that time Ford had developed the 7.0 litre GT40
, and so the XJ13 was considered obsolete by the time the prototype was complete. The prototype was tested at MIRA
and at Silverstone, which confirmed that it would have required considerable development to make it competitive. The prototype was put into storage and no further examples were made.
. The publicity team wanted a shot of the XJ13 at speed for the opening sequence of the film launching the V12 E-Type. On 21 January 1971, the XJ13 was taken to MIRA
for the filming with Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis at the wheel. Unfortunately, a rear tyre deflated at speed, the car rolled heavily and was nearly destroyed although Norman Dewis was fortunately unharmed. The wreck of the car was put back into storage.
Some years later, Edward Loades spotted the crashed XJ13 in storage at Jaguar and made the offer to 'Lofty' England that his company Abbey Panels should rebuild the car. The car was rebuilt, to a specification similar to the original, using some of the body jigs made for its original construction and at a cost of £1000 to Jaguar. The XJ13 finally made its public debut in July 1973 when 'Lofty' drove it around Silverstone at the British Grand Prix meeting and it is now displayed in the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection.
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
in the mid-1960s.
It never raced, and only one was ever produced. The car has not been officially valued, but a £7 million ($11 million) bid for it was declined by the owners in 1996.
Development
Jaguar had considered the manufacture of a DOHC V12 engine as far back as 1950, initially for racing purposes, and then developing a SOHC road going version, unlike the XK which was designed as a production engine and later pressed into service for racing. The engine design was essentially two XK 6-cylinder engines on a common crankshaft with an aluminium cylinder block, although there were differences in the inlet porting, valve angles and combustion chamber shape. The first engine ran in July of 1964.The idea of a mid-engined prototype was first mooted in 1960, but it was not until 1965 that construction began, with the first car running by March 1966. The aluminium body was designed by Malcolm Sayer
Malcolm Sayer
Malcolm Sayer was an aircraft and car designer. His most notable work being the iconic E-Type Jaguar. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aerodynamics to car design.-Background:Sayer was born in Cromer,...
, the aerodynamicist responsible for the Jaguar C-type
Jaguar C-Type
The Jaguar C-Type is a racing sports car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. The "C" designation stood for "competition"....
, D-type
Jaguar D-type
The Jaguar D-Type, like its predecessor the C-Type, was a factory-built race car. Although it shared the basic straight-6 XK engine design with the C-Type, the majority of the car was radically different...
, E-type
Jaguar E-type
The Jaguar E-Type or XK-E is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring...
and XJS
Jaguar XJS
The Jaguar XJ-S is a luxury grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar from 1975 to 1996. The XJ-S replaced the E-Type in September 1975, and was based on the XJ saloon. It had been developed as the XK-F, though it was very different in character from its predecessor...
, who used his Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...
background to build it using techniques borrowed from the aircraft industry . The task of building the car was entrusted to Bob Blake - described by his contemporaries as "An Artist in Metal".
The XJ13 had mid-engine
MR layout
In automotive design, a RMR or Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. In contrast to the rear-engined RR layout, the center of mass of the engine is in front of the rear axle...
format with the 5.0 litre V12 engine
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
mounted behind the driver, used as a stressed chassis member together with the five-speed manual ZF Transaxle
Transaxle
In the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....
driving the rear wheels.
The front suspension wishbones were similar to that of the E-Type, however where the E-Type used longitudinal torsion bars, the XJ13 had more conventional coil spring/damper units. At the rear there again remained similarities with the E-Type—the use of driveshafts as upper transverse links—however the rest was quite different, with two long radius arms per side angling back from the central body tub together with a single fabricated transverse lower link.
The development of the XJ13, although treated seriously by the designers, was never a priority for company management (despite assistant MD Lofty England's
Lofty England
Frank Raymond Wilton "Lofty" England was an engineer and motor company manager from England. He rose to fame as the manager of the Jaguar Cars sports car racing team in the 1950s, during which time Jaguar cars won the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race on five occasions...
Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
success in the 1950s), and became less so following the 1966 merger with BMC
British Motor Corporation
The British Motor Corporation, or commonly known as BMC was a vehicle manufacturer from United Kingdom, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation in 1952...
. By that time Ford had developed the 7.0 litre GT40
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 was a high performance sports car and winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans four times in a row, from 1966 to 1969...
, and so the XJ13 was considered obsolete by the time the prototype was complete. The prototype was tested at MIRA
Motor Industry Research Association
MIRA Ltd, formerly known as the Motor Industry Research Association, is a limited company based near Nuneaton in Hinckley and Bosworth, Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, which provides product engineering, research, testing, information and certification services to the automotive...
and at Silverstone, which confirmed that it would have required considerable development to make it competitive. The prototype was put into storage and no further examples were made.
MIRA crash
In 1971 the Series 3 E-type was about to be launched with Jaguar's first production V12 engineJaguar V12 engine
Jaguar V12 piston engine was one of the premier powerplants of the 1970s and 1980s. It was first seen in the Series 3 Jaguar E-type of 1971 and was based loosely on an earlier design intended for a Le Mans car, the ill-fated Jaguar XJ13. The V12 was only Jaguar's second engine design to go into...
. The publicity team wanted a shot of the XJ13 at speed for the opening sequence of the film launching the V12 E-Type. On 21 January 1971, the XJ13 was taken to MIRA
Motor Industry Research Association
MIRA Ltd, formerly known as the Motor Industry Research Association, is a limited company based near Nuneaton in Hinckley and Bosworth, Leicestershire in the United Kingdom, which provides product engineering, research, testing, information and certification services to the automotive...
for the filming with Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis at the wheel. Unfortunately, a rear tyre deflated at speed, the car rolled heavily and was nearly destroyed although Norman Dewis was fortunately unharmed. The wreck of the car was put back into storage.
Some years later, Edward Loades spotted the crashed XJ13 in storage at Jaguar and made the offer to 'Lofty' England that his company Abbey Panels should rebuild the car. The car was rebuilt, to a specification similar to the original, using some of the body jigs made for its original construction and at a cost of £1000 to Jaguar. The XJ13 finally made its public debut in July 1973 when 'Lofty' drove it around Silverstone at the British Grand Prix meeting and it is now displayed in the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection.
External links
- XJ13 page at the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust
- The finest Jaguar that never was Andrew Frankel of the Sunday Times tests the Jaguar XJ13
- A personal XJ13 blog that contains unpublished and original material concerning the development of the XJ13 prototype V12