Vehicle Description
1988 Jaguar XJR-9
The XJR-9 is sports prototype racing car built by TWR and Jaguar to
compete in the FIA Group C and IMSA Camel GTP race series. It was
designed by Tony Southgate, constructed by TWR and utilised a 7.0
Litre V12 Jaguar engine. Its debut was at the 24 hours of Daytona
held over 1st and 2nd of February 1988 where it scored an outright
victory. Further successes were achieved in the World Sports
Prototype Championship where the Silk Cut liveried cars took six
victories over the eleven race series, including the 24 Hours of Le
Mans, which was enough to secure the team championship.
The car offered is the sixth and final new XJR-9 built by TWR in
1988 and was introduced mid-season to replace the Le Mans winner,
chassis 488, which was retired after its victory.
For the majority of the 1988 season it was piloted by Jan Lammers
and Johnny Dumfries, although Martin Brundle also drove the car at
Spa. The first race for Chassis 688 was round six of the
Championship, held at Brno on July 10th, where Lammers and Dumfries
qualified 5th but took a tremendous 3rd just behind Brundle and
Neilson in Chassis 588. Round seven was held two weeks later at
Brands Hatch and Lammers and Dumfries showed an improvement in
qualifying with a 4th starting position. With less than an hour to
run of the 1000 km race it looked as if the TWR Jaguars were set to
achieve a 1-2 finish but a late electrical fault forced Lammers and
Dumfries to retire. Despite ending their race 40 minutes early they
still covered almost as many laps as the Porsche 962 that finished
7th, a clear indication of how fast they were running prior to
their untimely retirement.
The next outing for chassis 688 was at the Nurburgring for another
1000 km race, although this time split into two heats. In spite of
appalling weather Lammers and Dumfries managed to score an
outstanding 2nd in heat 1 but a minor accident cost them valuable
time in heat 2 and the best they could achieve was 8th. Round nine,
held at Spa on September 18th, was a hugely important race, not
only for chassis 688, but also for the TWR Jaguar team, who were on
the cusp of winning the championship. The race started well with
Lammers taking an early lead but a puncture forced him back to 7th.
Brundle, substituting for Dumfries, brought the car back to 3rd and
then moved into 2nd when one of the Sauber-Mercedes required
repairs to its suspension. Brundle even managed to capture the lead
although he could not hold it, and slipped back. But it hardly
mattered as 688 crossed the line in 2nd place, which was enough to
crown the TWR Jaguar team World Champions. Round ten, at Fuji, saw
both XJR-9s qualify as the fastest non-turbo cars. Sadly Lammers
suffered a front tyre blow out which forced the retirement of 688,
but the sister car 588 scored an outstanding victory, a whole lap
ahead of the second place Porsche 962. Round eleven, the final race
of the 1988 season, was held on November 20th 1988 at Sandown Park
in Australia. Lammers and Dumfries once again qualified well,
taking a 3rd on the grid and finished 4th. While not securing an
outright victory, 688 had proved invaluable to the TWR Jaguar team.
It had come in halfway through the season, finished all but two of
its races and scored enough points to deliver the team
championship.
The 1989 season saw new regulations for the World Sports Prototype
Championship, which required the XJR-9s to gain an additional 50
kgs. This extra weight meant that fuel efficiency would become a
priority and this was graphically illustrated in the opening race
at Suzuka where Lammers, driving 588, ran out of fuel just minutes
from the chequered flag. Chassis 688, piloted this year by John
Neilson and Andy Wallace, was driven more cautiously and finished
5th scoring invaluable championship points. Following testing,
round two was held at Dijon on May 21st. Despite running well in
the early stages, both TWR Jaguars were forced to retire, chassis
688 being particularly unfortunate in suffering a burst tyre. The
next event on the calendar was the all-important 24 Hours of Le
Mans, held over 10th and 11th of June. Both XJR-9s qualified on the
second row and were content to play a long game, biding their time
while the more temperamental turbo-charged engines succumbed to the
demands of endurance racing. Unfortunately this plan suffered a
setback when a faulty tyre pressure reading forced a precautionary
pit stop, which put 688 well down the field. Not content with this
turn of events, the driving team of Neilson, Wallace and Cobb put
in an enormous effort to claw back positions and were up to 4th
place by 3 am, running just behind the eventual winner. Remarkably
they held this position until just before dawn when alas the heroic
fight back was curtailed by a blown head gasket. In spite of its
retirement, the come-back charge of 688 throughout the night was an
outstanding performance and testament to the quality of both car
and drivers. Round three saw Nielsen and Wallace back in 688 at
Jarama, where they finished a creditable 6th, held up by a
frustrating delay to adjust the driver's seat belts. The final
appearance for 688 in the 1989 season was the 480km race at Brands
Hatch on 23rd July. The field for this event was more competitive
than usual with the appearance of two of the new XJR-11
turbocharged cars. Against this opposition Nielsen and Wallace had
managed to qualify in 11th, a creditable performance all things
considered, but sadly the race ended when 688's brakes failed 101
laps in.
Following this last appearance 688 was returned to the factory and
formed part of the TWR collection before passing through the hands
of several notable collectors. It has recently been subject to a
total professional restoration and as such is presented in race
ready condition and would be sure to be a front runner in Patrick
Peter's Historic Group C series. It offers an incredibly rare
opportunity to acquire one of the championing-winning Silk Cut TWR
Jaguars and would form the centre-piece to any major collection.
Please contact us for further details.
Period competition history
10 July 1988
Brno 360 km
No. 2
Jan Lammers / Johnny Dumfries
3rd
�
24 July 1988
Brands Hatch 1000 km
No. 2
Jan Lammers / Johnny Dumfries
DNF
�
4 September 1988
Nurburgring 1000 km
No. 2
Jan Lammers / Johnny Dumfries
2nd in Heat 1
8th in Heat 2
�
18 September 1988
Spa 1000 km
No. 2
Jan Lammers / Martin Brundle
2nd
�
9 October 1988
Fuji 1000 km
No. 2
Jan Lammers / Johnny Dumfries
DNF
�
20 November 1988
Sandown 360 km
No. 2
Jan Lammers / Johnny Dumfries
4th
�
9 April 1989
Suzuka 480 km
No. 2
John Neilson / Andy Wallace
5th
�
21 May 1989
Dijon 480 km
No. 2
John Neilson / Andy Wallace
DNF
�
10 - 11 June 1989
Le Mans 24 Hours
No. 2
John Neilson / Andy Wallace / Price Cobb
DNF
�
25 June 1989
Jarama 480 km
No. 2
John Neilson / Andy Wallace
6th
�
23 July 1989
Brands Hatch 480 km
No. 2
John Neilson / Andy Wallace
DNF
