Jaguar XJR-14
Encyclopedia
The Jaguar XJR-14 was a sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1991 World Sportscar Championship
season.
category that had been used in the World Sportscar Championship since 1982. However, due to a small number of entries in the new 3.5 litre formula heavily penalised Group C cars were allowed participate in the newly created C2 category for the 1991 season but Jaguar participated in the new formula.
To comply with the new regulations Jaguar produced an all-new car, the XJR-14. It was designed by John Piper under the design direction of Ross Brawn
and was built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing
(TWR). In the past, TWR's Jaguars had been designed under the direction of Tony Southgate
, while Brawn worked with a large design staff (12 according to John Piper); a paradigm shift (albeit small) in its own right and reflective of Brawn's Formula One background.
, used a twin turbo charged 3.5 litre engine derived from the Metro 6R4-derived JV6 engine, in order to comply with the new rules the two turbochargers would need to be removed. Naturally this wasn't a realistic option, nor was it ever considered, given the design compromises of not using a bespoke engine.
But given the Jaguar-Ford connection, it was a decided to utilise the 3.5 litre Ford HB V8 Formula One powerplant. Developed by Geoff Goddard & most notably used by the Benetton Formula One team, but now badged as a Jaguar, the Ford HB was detuned to about 11,500 rpm (compared to about 13,000 rpm) and aimed to produce slightly less power (about 650 bhp vs. around 700 bhp) with aims at enhanced reliability.
and Mercedes-Benz C291
. Only the opening race went Peugeot's way, but that was seen more as a result of luck than the 905's competitiveness. The fact that Jaguar already had race proven engine certainly helped the team’s cause but the rest of the car was so much more superior than its rivals.
It wasn't until midway through the season that the Jaguar met its match through Peugeot's new 905B. This meant a hard fight with the new and quickly improving Peugeot squad for the rest of the season, but Jaguar was able to hold on and secure the manufacturers title with 3 victories.
At the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jaguar initially entered two XJR-14s but later decided that the XJR-14 would not be capable of finishing the distance due to unknowns in the development of the Cosworth HB to last 24 hours. Jaguar instead decided to enter three older XJR-12s
which entered in the C2 class. Although the XJR-12s did not manage to win, Jaguar's decision not to run the untested XJR-14 was vindicated by the fact that Peugeot's 905 failed to finish the race. Mercedes also withdrew its C291 in favour of its older C11
models.
After 1991, Jaguar decided not to continue in Group C, believing that they had spent enough time in Group C and the instability of rules recently in the World Sportscar Championship. Jaguar decided to take the XJR-14 to the United States for the 1992 IMSA Camel GTP championship. However, without a major upgrade, and with suspension that was not particularly well suited to the bumpier circuits in the United States, the XJR-14 was unable to beat the latest challengers from Toyota and Nissan, forced to finish third in the championship with only two victories. Jaguar continued to use the three updated 1991 chassis throughout the season.
V10s for the World Sportscar Championship
. Mazda would rebadge the XJR-14s as MXR-01s
. The MXR-01 was essentially a productionsed XJR-14 and as there had been no ongoing development they ended up not being particularly competitive, scoring no wins and finishing third in the championship.
Several years later, TWR would resurrect XJR-14 chassis #691, which had competed in IMSA Camel GTP, for the development of a new prototype for Porsche. They renamed the car the TWR-Porsche WSC-95
. Its most significant feature was that it had the roof removed, turning it into an open cockpit prototype to run under the then-new LMP regulations. The WSC-95 would carry a Porsche 3.0L turbocharged Flat-6. After chassis #691 was modified, TWR built a second WSC-95 from scratch. In both the 1996 and 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans, the TWR-Porsches were able to take the overall win. See Chassis Log.
691/192 - 1991: Suzuka (DNF), Monza (2nd), Silverstone (1st), Nurburgring (2nd), Magny Cours (3rd), Mexico (did not race), Autopolis (3rd), Sugo (1st). 1992 (chassis number changed to 192): Mid-Ohio (1st), New Orleans (4th), Watkins Glen (3rd), Laguna Seca (3rd), Portland (DNF), Phoenix (2nd), Del Mar (DNF). Converted to a Porsche WSC95 Spyder in late 1994, raced at LeMans in 1996 and 1997 by Reinhold Joest, winning the race on both occasions. It is now in Reinhold Joest's private museum.
791 - 1991: Nurburgring (1st), Magny Cours (5th), Mexico (6th), Sugo (9th). 1992: Miami (DNF), Road Atlanta (1st), Lime Rock (accident in race). Rebuilt to running order at TWR. As part of TWR liquidation, sold to US collector (2003). Both 591 and 791 part of same collection (2007).
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
season.
Introduction
The 1991 season marked the introduction of the FIA’s new, and controversial, 3.5 Litre Formula which replaced the highly successful Group CGroup C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
category that had been used in the World Sportscar Championship since 1982. However, due to a small number of entries in the new 3.5 litre formula heavily penalised Group C cars were allowed participate in the newly created C2 category for the 1991 season but Jaguar participated in the new formula.
To comply with the new regulations Jaguar produced an all-new car, the XJR-14. It was designed by John Piper under the design direction of Ross Brawn
Ross Brawn
Ross James Brawn OBE is an English motorsport engineer and Formula One team principal. He has worked for a number of Formula One teams, serving as the technical director of the championship-winning Benetton and Ferrari teams. He took a sabbatical from the sport in 2007 but returned to F1 for the...
and was built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing
Tom Walkinshaw Racing , was an auto racing team and engineering firm founded in 1976 by touring car racer Tom Walkinshaw.-History:TWR started by modifying BMW 3.0 CSLs, but soon was contracted to head Mazda's works program in the British Touring Car Championship. The TWR developed RX-7, with Win...
(TWR). In the past, TWR's Jaguars had been designed under the direction of Tony Southgate
Tony Southgate
Tony Southgate is a British engineer and former racing car designer. He designed many successful cars, including Jaguar's Le Mans-winning XJR-9, and cars for almost every type of circuit racing. He was responsible for the chassis design of Ford's RS200 Group B rally car...
, while Brawn worked with a large design staff (12 according to John Piper); a paradigm shift (albeit small) in its own right and reflective of Brawn's Formula One background.
Engine
The primary feature of the new regulations centred around 3.5 litre naturally aspirated engines. Although the XJR-14's predecessor, the XJR-11Jaguar XJR-11
The Jaguar XJR-11 was a sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1989 World Sportscar Championship season - its sister car the XJR-10 running in IMSA....
, used a twin turbo charged 3.5 litre engine derived from the Metro 6R4-derived JV6 engine, in order to comply with the new rules the two turbochargers would need to be removed. Naturally this wasn't a realistic option, nor was it ever considered, given the design compromises of not using a bespoke engine.
But given the Jaguar-Ford connection, it was a decided to utilise the 3.5 litre Ford HB V8 Formula One powerplant. Developed by Geoff Goddard & most notably used by the Benetton Formula One team, but now badged as a Jaguar, the Ford HB was detuned to about 11,500 rpm (compared to about 13,000 rpm) and aimed to produce slightly less power (about 650 bhp vs. around 700 bhp) with aims at enhanced reliability.
Design
The abandonment of the Group C fuel consumption regulations meant a change in aerodynamic design philosophy. Coupled that with vastly different packaging requirements for a small, light, normally aspirated engine meant that concerns over drag became a secondary requirement to downforce. The new design, lower kerb weight of 750 kg (1,653 lb) and higher downforce levels meant that the XJR-14 was a lot faster in corners compared to the previous Group C front runners.Race results
Three chassis were built and used for 1991: 591, 691, & 791. In the early part of the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season the XJR-14 was in a league of its own, totally outclassing its rivals and in particular the Peugeot 905Peugeot 905
The Peugeot 905 is a Sports-prototype racing car introduced for Sportscar racing.The car was initially unveiled in February 1990 and was developed throughout 1990 before making its race debut in the final two races of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season .The car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans...
and Mercedes-Benz C291
Mercedes-Benz C291
The Mercedes-Benz C291 was a Sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season.-Introduction:The 1991 season marked the introduction of the FIA’s new, and controversial, 3.5 litre formula which replaced the highly successful Group C category that had been used...
. Only the opening race went Peugeot's way, but that was seen more as a result of luck than the 905's competitiveness. The fact that Jaguar already had race proven engine certainly helped the team’s cause but the rest of the car was so much more superior than its rivals.
It wasn't until midway through the season that the Jaguar met its match through Peugeot's new 905B. This meant a hard fight with the new and quickly improving Peugeot squad for the rest of the season, but Jaguar was able to hold on and secure the manufacturers title with 3 victories.
At the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jaguar initially entered two XJR-14s but later decided that the XJR-14 would not be capable of finishing the distance due to unknowns in the development of the Cosworth HB to last 24 hours. Jaguar instead decided to enter three older XJR-12s
Jaguar XJR-12
The Jaguar XJR-12 is a sports-prototype race car built by Jaguar for both Group C and IMSA Camel GTP. The car is famous for winning the 1990 24 Hours of Le Mans....
which entered in the C2 class. Although the XJR-12s did not manage to win, Jaguar's decision not to run the untested XJR-14 was vindicated by the fact that Peugeot's 905 failed to finish the race. Mercedes also withdrew its C291 in favour of its older C11
Mercedes-Benz C11
The Mercedes-Benz C11 was a Group C prototype race car introduced in 1990 for the World Sportscar Championship. Built by Sauber as a successor to the Sauber C9, the C11 used the same Mercedes-Benz M119 5.0L Turbocharged V8 from the C9...
models.
After 1991, Jaguar decided not to continue in Group C, believing that they had spent enough time in Group C and the instability of rules recently in the World Sportscar Championship. Jaguar decided to take the XJR-14 to the United States for the 1992 IMSA Camel GTP championship. However, without a major upgrade, and with suspension that was not particularly well suited to the bumpier circuits in the United States, the XJR-14 was unable to beat the latest challengers from Toyota and Nissan, forced to finish third in the championship with only two victories. Jaguar continued to use the three updated 1991 chassis throughout the season.
Derivatives
Meanwhile, TWR had reached an agreement to supply more XJR-14 chassis to Mazda, minus the Cosworth V8s but installed with Mazda-badged JuddJudd (engine)
Judd is a name brand of engines produced by Engine Developments Ltd., a company founded in 1971 by John Judd and Jack Brabham in Rugby, Warwickshire, England...
V10s for the World Sportscar Championship
World Sportscar Championship
The World Sportscar Championship was the world series run for sports car racing by the FIA from 1953 to 1992.The championship evolved from a small collection of the most important sportscar, endurance and road racing events in Europe and North America with dozens of gentleman drivers at the grid,...
. Mazda would rebadge the XJR-14s as MXR-01s
Mazda MXR-01
The Mazda MXR-01 was a Group C sportscar used by Mazda's factory team Mazdaspeed in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season. It would be the final Mazda entry in sportscars since the inception of their Le Mans project in 1983.-Development:...
. The MXR-01 was essentially a productionsed XJR-14 and as there had been no ongoing development they ended up not being particularly competitive, scoring no wins and finishing third in the championship.
Several years later, TWR would resurrect XJR-14 chassis #691, which had competed in IMSA Camel GTP, for the development of a new prototype for Porsche. They renamed the car the TWR-Porsche WSC-95
Porsche WSC-95
The Porsche WSC-95 was a Le Mans Prototype built for Porsche by Tom Walkinshaw Racing and run by Joest Racing, yet can trace its origin to a Jaguar sports car designed in 1991...
. Its most significant feature was that it had the roof removed, turning it into an open cockpit prototype to run under the then-new LMP regulations. The WSC-95 would carry a Porsche 3.0L turbocharged Flat-6. After chassis #691 was modified, TWR built a second WSC-95 from scratch. In both the 1996 and 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans, the TWR-Porsches were able to take the overall win. See Chassis Log.
Chassis Log
591 - 1991: Suzuka (DNF), Monza (1st), Silverstone (3rd), Autopolis (2nd). 1992: Laguna Seca (4th), Road America (crash in warm-up). Rebuilt to running order at TWR, sold to US collector (2003).691/192 - 1991: Suzuka (DNF), Monza (2nd), Silverstone (1st), Nurburgring (2nd), Magny Cours (3rd), Mexico (did not race), Autopolis (3rd), Sugo (1st). 1992 (chassis number changed to 192): Mid-Ohio (1st), New Orleans (4th), Watkins Glen (3rd), Laguna Seca (3rd), Portland (DNF), Phoenix (2nd), Del Mar (DNF). Converted to a Porsche WSC95 Spyder in late 1994, raced at LeMans in 1996 and 1997 by Reinhold Joest, winning the race on both occasions. It is now in Reinhold Joest's private museum.
791 - 1991: Nurburgring (1st), Magny Cours (5th), Mexico (6th), Sugo (9th). 1992: Miami (DNF), Road Atlanta (1st), Lime Rock (accident in race). Rebuilt to running order at TWR. As part of TWR liquidation, sold to US collector (2003). Both 591 and 791 part of same collection (2007).