RGM

First envisioned in 1960

Jaguar is a manufacturer that was originally very active in sportscar racing, and had shown exceptional performance, winning Le Mans 24 Hours race 3 years in a row from 1955 to 1957. It was not until 1965 that construction began on a purpose built endurance racing car with the first car having an intentional running by March 1966.

Jaguar in motorsports

Their motorsports activities as a works team ended in 1956, but there were those within the group of Jaguar engineers who still held dear their passion for motorsports. They continued to steadily develop a pure racing machine that would succeed the D-Type that dominated the Le Mans races in those three years.

Finally completed in 1966

It was Jaguar's first mid-engine racer. Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sawyer oversaw the exterior design, and aluminium body incorporating developments in air flow and the implementation of monocoque metal sheeting to mimic an aeroplane. Picking up where work left off on the Jaguar C, D and E-Types, Sawyer kept key construction assets, particularly the chassis design, and mounted a newly designed 495 BHP, 5L, DOHC V12 unit that would become the basis for the 12 cylinder Jaguar engine to follow.

Restoration, preservation and today

At the time, Jaguar's engineers had high hopes for the car's prowess on the track during actual races, however trying to keep the V12 engine out of sight from other manufacturers, Jaguar were reluctant to enter the XJ-13. So advanced was the project they had been working on, Jaguar scrapped it in favour of it's secrecy. The working prototype was the only car ever produced and it itself sustained heavy damage whilst filming a promotion for the E-Type. This XJ-13 prototype has no official value, the most recent offer proposed for it was back in 1996 and the owner refused the £7 million offer.