Car of the Week #15

Jaguar XJ13

The one off prototype Jaguar XJ13 was created to compete in Le Mans in the late 1960s, but unfortunately never turned a wheel at the race track due to engine regulation changes at the time.

A mid-mounted V12 engine – a new concept at the time, powers the XJ13 and unbeknown to the marque at the time – the engine was test-bed for the later V12 engine found in Jaguar’s production cars from 1971 to 1996. The gorgeous curved body was styled by aero dynamist Malcolm Sayer, who was also responsible for the successful D-Type and C-Type racers.

Due to the XJ13’s modern styling and engineering, the XJ13 reached 161 mph at the MIRA test track in the hands of racing driver David Hobbs – achieving a new lap record at the time. Although the Le Mans prototype never made it on the track, it is still a beautiful piece of machinery of engineering which currently resides in The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.