Jaguar XJ220C LM Cars Photos

Jaguar XJ220C Car image

When the GT Class N endurance racing category was announced, the XJ220 was ideally placed to compete within the category. TWR designer Richard Owen was given the task of adapting the Jaguar for GT racing, although when he began the project in 1992 the FIA had still not settled the rules and so he proceeded with a design for IMSA racing in the USA which he assumed would also cover Le Mans and other international races.

Working quickly to the changing rules, TWR was in a position to unveil their version – known as the XJ220C – at the Auto Sports International Show at the Birmingham NEC in January 1993, announcing their intention to compete at Le Mans that year. In order to comply with the homologation requirements, TWR also announced the XJ220S, a limited-production road-going version.

Unlike the production XJ220, the TWR versions would be purpose-built with carbon-fibre replacing most of the aluminium panels for strength and weight-saving. Wider sills and an adjustable rear wing completed the transition process. Further weight was saved with the spartan interior, and what was left, such as the dashboard, transmission tunnel and instrument binnacle, was again replaced with carbon fibre.

Both the nose and tail sections of the car were replaced with composite structures in place of aluminium, and to enable easier access to the mid-mounted engine the entire tail section was made in one removable piece.

Although the basic chassis and floorpan was left unmodified, new wheels and tyres were specified and the suspension was redesigned to accommodate the increased demands that would be made of it on the track. New uprights at the front and rear were provided to allow much greater brake cooling for the larger discs and bigger brake callipers.

The engine and gearbox installation remained similar to that of the standard production model, though TWR did extract some additional power from the V6. To aid cooling, a larger radiator was fitted, the oil flow improved, and a water-to-oil heat exchanger replaced the standard air-to-air version.

After testing at Silverstone, and later at the former airfield at Bruntingthorpe, the XJ220C made its first public début at Silverstone where Win Percy drove the car to a win in the BRDC National GT race.

Jaguar XJ220C Photo

Jaguar XJ220C

Jaguar XJ220C

Jaguar XJ220C

Jaguar XJ220C