To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Amelia
Island event, 6 - 7 March 2020.
Estimate:
$200,000 - $300,000
- Winner of the 1978 Trans-Am Category 1 Drivers' and
Manufacturers' Championship
- Campaigned by the legendary Bob Tullius and his Group 44
team
- Mechanically restored by a marque expert in the early
2010s
- Finished in the original Quaker State-sponsored livery
- Rare purpose-built, tube-frame race car; three owners from
new
- Documented with FIVA passport and FIA papers
Please note that this lot is offered on a Bill of Sale only.
In 1976, as Jaguar faced tepid sales for its new XJS model, sales
VP Michael Dale reached out to Bob Tullius, whose Group 44 team
made major strides in Trans-Am competition under the Quaker State
sponsorship. Tullius's team accepted an XJS for the 1977 season,
and after significant modifications followed by some keen driving,
Tullius emerged with the Drivers' Championship for the Category 1
division.
For 1978 the relationship continued, and the body for the offered
car, chassis no. 78-44, received a factory-conducted acid dip to
shave weight before being submitted to Group 44 for race
preparation. The coachwork was then mounted on a special tube-frame
chassis with a 32-gallon fuel cell and fitted with a 5.3-liter
Jaguar V-12 equipped with six Weber carburetors. Tullius drove this
lighter, more purpose-built car to great success, finishing 2nd at
Westwood, British Columbia, in early June 1978, and 3rd at
Portland, Oregon, a week later.
On 25 June 1978, the Jaguar roared to its first win, emerging
triumphant at Mont Tremblant in the first of seven consecutive
victories that closed out the season. A 1st-place finish at Road
America in early September sealed another Drivers' Championship for
Tullius, while a win at the season-ending contest in Mexico City in
early November earned the Manufacturers' title.
After 1978 the prodigious XJS was retired and stored by Tullius for
three decades before being sold in December 2007 to marque
collector Gary Bartlett. The new owner commissioned Jaguar expert
Chris Keith-Lucas in England to mechanically restore the car,
including a comprehensive engine rebuild. In March 2009 the XJS won
the FIVA award at the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and in
August 2011 it was displayed at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports
Reunion at Laguna Seca. Two years later the Jaguar received
certification for major events with an FIA Historic Technical
Passport and a FIVA card.
The Group 44 Jaguar was acquired by the consignor in 2013, and the
three-owner XJS continues to wear its original 1978 livery, having
never been cosmetically restored, as evidenced by the gentle
patina. Ideal for presentation at major concours d'elegance or
vintage competition, this superlative Trans-Am champion would make
a stunning addition to any competition-focused collection or show
of Jaguars, claiming one of the manufacturer's most indelibly
successful racing careers.To view this car and others currently
consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/am20.
