Now hear that Jaguar V12 from issue 11 roar

That car on the cover of issue 11 looks great. But really, you need to have heard that 7.4-litre V12 in the back of the TWR-Jaguar XJR-12 at least once in your lifetime.

Early nineties, Group C in its initial form was doomed. A victim of its success, the FIA started tempering with the formula, because the Group C prototypes were becoming more popular than Formula 1. As of 1992, new, F1-inspired 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated engines would become the norm. Much higher revving, much more costly to run over a long distance. By 1994, Group C racing was dead.

Most successful chassis

Between 1990 and 1992, there was a transition period where the old Group Cs were still allowed to run, but handicapped (more weight). Thus extending the lifespan of the Porsche, Mercedes and Jaguar prototypes. At Le Mans, TWR-Jaguar made the most of the situation. With the XJR-12, the Silk Cut squad won the most famous 24 hour-race in 1990, and finished second in 1991. It’s precisely this car, chassis #990, that finished second at Le Mans in 1991, that we had the pleasure to drive at Jaguar Classic’s base at Fenn End in the UK, formerly Prodrive’s test track.

Chassis #990 is the most successful of the TWR-Jaguar prototypes. It in fact started life as an XJR-9, before being upgraded to XJR-12 spec. You can read the whole story of the TWR-Jaguar XJR-12 in issue 11, but we thought you’d appreciate a little behind the scenes of this particular test as well.

Also, here you have some images courtesy of Robert Vetter of the TWR-Jaguar campaign at Le Mans in 1991.

Add more torque

Now, this era of Group C has almost nothing but mythical cars. You will identify a Porsche 962 or a Mercedes-Sauber C11 with your eyes closed. And the same goes for one of the ultimate naturally-aspirated engines. With no limit on engine capacity, TWR had sought to compensate the weight penalty, so by 1992, the V12 Jaguar measured 7.4-litres. 750 hp was easy to obtain, but torque was more important. The engine delivered 880 Nm between 5000 and 6000 rpm, and it had 820 Nm from 4000 rpm on. Its top speed was well in excess of 350 kph, even if it had just five forward gears.

Overwhelming

Both the noise and the power delivery are simply incredible. The voice of that V12 is almost overwhelming, but the quick speed build-up necessitates all your focus. Driving one of these great requires all your attention. At any time, whether you are just looking at it in standstill, seeing it fly by or when you are behind the wheel, you feel privileged to be near it. It’s one of the great race cars, and we wanted you to get a bit of a feel for it. Enjoy.

A big thanks to Jaguar Classic and the owner of chassis #990 to have made this happen.

Issue 11 is available from our webshop.