The Jaguar XJR-14 is a sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season. It was designed by Ross Brawn and John Piper and built and run by Tom Walkinshaw Racing on behalf of Jaguar Cars.
Jaguar XJR-14 at a glance
| Introduced | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Regulations | FIA 3.5-litre formula, replacing Group C |
| Designed by | Ross Brawn and John Piper |
| Built and run by | Tom Walkinshaw Racing |
| Engine | 3.5-litre Ford HB V8, badged as a Jaguar |
| Power | about 650 bhp at 11,500 rpm |
| Kerb weight target | 1,650 lb (748 kg) |
| Chassis built | three, numbered 591, 691 and 791 |
| 1991 results | three wins, manufacturers’ title |
| Later | IMSA GTP in 1992, then Mazda MXR-01 and Porsche WSC-95 |
History of the Jaguar XJR-14
New rules, new car
1991 brought the FIA’s new 3.5-litre formula in place of Group C, which had been used in the World Sportscar Championship since 1982. Group C cars were allowed into a new C2 category that season because entries were so few, but Jaguar chose the new formula and built an entirely new car. Where earlier TWR Jaguars had been designed under Tony Southgate, Brawn worked with a much larger design staff, reflecting his Formula One background. The end of Group C fuel consumption rules changed the aerodynamic philosophy: with a small, light, normally aspirated engine, drag became secondary to downforce. The car targeted a kerb weight of 748 kg and much higher downforce, making it far quicker through corners than the Group C cars it replaced.
Engine
The rules called for 3.5-litre naturally aspirated engines, so the twin-turbo V6 of the XJR-11 could not be carried over. Thanks to the Jaguar–Ford connection, the car used the 3.5-litre Ford HB V8 Formula One engine developed by Geoff Goddard and best known in the Benetton, badged as a Jaguar and detuned to about 11,500 rpm and 650 bhp for reliability against the 13,000 rpm and 700 bhp of Formula One specification.
1991 and after
Three chassis, numbered 591, 691 and 791, were used in 1991. Early in the season the XJR-14 was in a class of its own against the Peugeot 905 and Mercedes-Benz C291, and although Peugeot’s new 905B closed the gap later, Jaguar held on to take the manufacturers’ title with three victories. Jaguar entered two cars for Le Mans but withdrew them, doubting that the Cosworth HB could last 24 hours, and ran older XJR-12s instead. After 1991 Jaguar left Group C, and the XJR-14 went to the United States for the 1992 IMSA Camel GTP championship, where chassis 691, renumbered 192, broke the Miami track record by four seconds but could not match Toyota and Nissan, finishing third in the championship. TWR later supplied XJR-14 chassis to Mazda as the MXR-01, and rebuilt chassis 691 as the open-cockpit TWR-Porsche WSC-95, which won Le Mans outright in 1996 and 1997.
Design and features
- 3.5-litre formula: built for the rules that replaced Group C in 1991.
- Cosworth HB V8: a detuned Formula One engine badged as a Jaguar.
- Downforce over drag: a new aerodynamic philosophy for the new rules.
- Light and quick: a 748 kg target weight made it faster in corners than Group C cars.
- Long afterlife: its chassis became the Mazda MXR-01 and the Le Mans-winning Porsche WSC-95.
Jaguar XJR-14 versions
- Chassis 591: won at Monza in 1991.
- Chassis 691/192: won at Silverstone in 1991 and raced in IMSA in 1992; later rebuilt as the TWR-Porsche WSC-95.
- Chassis 791: the third 1991 car.
- Mazda MXR-01: XJR-14 chassis with a Judd V10 sold to Mazda.
The XJR-14 followed the Jaguar XJR-9 and Jaguar XJR-10, and its chassis later became the basis of the Jaguar XJR-15’s racing career. More cars are in the Jaguar collection.
Sources
- Jaguar XJR-14, English Wikipedia: design, engine, results, derivatives
