Why The Jaguar XJR-15 Is One Of The Greatest Sports Cars Of The 1990s

Originally known by the codename "R9-R", the Jaguar XJR-15 was a British car manufacturer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. jaguar (Jaguar Cars) works with a motor racing team and an engineering company known as Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). The 90's produced many great cars, but there are several reasons why the XJR-15 stands out from the crowd. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the XJR-15 is the fact that it was the world's first road car made entirely of carbon his fiber and Kevlar materials, predating the highly acclaimed McLaren F1. The beautiful lines seen on the XJR-15 were created at the same time by British car designer Peter Stephens, who is in charge of F1 styling. Due to its very limited production run (53 units), the XJR-15 is often forgotten when discussions about the best cars are made. sports car The 1990s are held.

XJR-15 that participated in the single-make race

One of the aims behind the development of the Jaguar XJR-15 was to use the car for racing. For this reason, each example of the XJR-15 was built from the factory to race specifications. Although many of his XJR-15 examples were later changed to "road spec", a total of 16 of his XJR-15 examples were recorded at his three F1 support events in 1991, the Jaguar Inter I raced in a single-make race series known as the Continental Challenge. Grand Prix. The 16 cars will race on some of the world's most popular tracks, including Monaco, Silverstone and Spa, and will feature the likes of Australian pro his racing his driver David Brabham and former Argentinian racing his driver Juan. A few notable drivers took part, including Manuel Fangio II. RELATED: This is why the ultra-rare Jaguar XJ220 is a collector's dream

Limited to 5 XJR-15s specially modified to LM specifications

Towards the end of production of the XJR-15, a series of about five cars in total were converted to 'LM spec' for a very special client of Jaguar Sport and Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Each example boasted brand new aerodynamics and bodywork, and a new 1991-spec LM 7.4-liter 'Group C' V12 engine said to be capable of around 730-740 horsepower. The standard XJR-15 originally had a 6.0-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine producing 450 horsepower. The engine used in the 'LM' car appears to have had a short life of about 3,728 miles, and only about 10% of the parts are thought to be portable from the XJR-15 to the XJR-15 LM and vice versa. . Each 'LM' began life as his standard XJR-15, but at least five cars were modified by Neil Smith for his one special customer.

The XJR-15 is a road race car

Car enthusiasts around the world love to define their instinctive, performance-oriented road cars as "road-legal race cars." This is usually due to experience and the performance of vehicles that share qualities reminiscent of those found on the track instead. For the XJR-15, this is the purest definition of what it means to be legal to drive a race car on public roads. Lacking sound isolation, an in-car headset system came with his XJR-15, allowing passengers to converse about the howling noise of his 6.0-liter Jaguar V12 engine. There aren't many machines in the world that can run on public roads with an engine like the one seen in the XJR-15. At the heart of the XJR-15 is a 6.0-liter, 450-horsepower naturally aspirated 24-valve Jaguar V12 engine with electronically controlled fuel injection and 'fly-by-wire' throttle. The standard transmission provided was his TWR asynchronous 6-speed manual transmission, and the entire car was mechanically based on the Tony Southgate-designed Le He Man-winning Jaguar XJR-9 race car. RELATED: Why the Forgotten Jaguar XJR-15 Supercar Is Underrated

Only 52 examples built for the whole world

Many sources report a wide variety of production numbers for the XJR-15, but the most sane numbers come from the car's designer, Peter Stevens, who has so far included two prototypes. A total of 52 examples are claimed to have been produced worldwide. Although each XJR-15 was originally identical in mechanical construction, over the years many XJR-15s were later converted for road use, only a few of which were 'LM'. processed. The number 52 includes all race, road and LM variants as well as two of his R9-R prototypes that were also developed. Most of the XJR-15s were factory finished in blue, but some very special examples were given distinctive colors such as yellow, green, black, and other vibrant colors. rice field.

The XJR-15 is the world's first road car built using carbon fiber and Kevlar.

At the time, without official involvement from Jaguar itself, Jaguar Sport, a joint venture between Jaguar Cars and Tom Walkinshaw Racing, developed the world's first road car made entirely of carbon fiber and Kevlar composites. Car enthusiasts around the world consider the mighty McLaren F1 to be one of the best cars to come out in the 1990s, but these manufacturing techniques weren't used in an F1 model until 1992, so the XJR-15 The very first of its kind. Going from 0 to 60 mph in just about 3.3 seconds and a top speed of about 215 mph, the Jaguar XJR-15 is not only one of the most forgotten supercars of the 1990s, but also one of the best. I have. Source: fastest lap