The XJ13 was, for its time, quite an advanced piece of design. In 1964 Jaguar began to lay down the foundations of their prototype - at this stage, their sights were set on the 1965 24 hours of Le Mans and initial progress was rapid.
Looking back to 2015 - 50 years (almost to the month) after similar events took place in Jaguar's Competition Department, work was continuing apace on my exact recreation of Jaguar's 1966 XJ13 Le Mans Prototype.
"We need some rivets" said Paul. "OK" I replied, "What kind do we need?". Paul scratched his head and answered, "Dunno - I suppose we need to find out what Jaguar used in 1966".
Where did Jaguar source components in period? Although Jaguar were able to raid their “parts bin” for some components of their XJ13 Le Mans Prototype, most of the car’s major items were custom-made. “Off-the-Shelf” components used in period included things such as Lightweight E-Type (LWE) front suspension & steering rack (albeit modified), instruments, lighting and front wheels (as also used on the rears of LWE racers). However, major components used for the car’s rear wheels, drivetrain, power-unit, braking systems and rear suspension had to be custom made in period.
Our XJ13 & E-Type Resto-Mod in convoy on way to Monaco Yacht Show. Loved the sound of our tera V12s in those tunnels!
10 years ago I suggested to our craftsmen they should walk 5 miles a day to refresh their minds and creative abilities. 10 years have passed and I have no idea where the heck they all are?
As we prepare our second batch of tera® Quad-Cam V12 engines, I thought you may be interested in a little background to the project ...
