The XJR-9 was an evolution of the XJR-8 design and featured a Jaguar 7.0-litre V12 engine based on the 5.3-litre engine used in the Jaguar XJS road car. A variant, the XJR-9LM, was developed specifically for the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the requirement for high straight-line speeds on the Mulsanne Straight necessitated a low-drag aerodynamic package.
In the United States, Castrol-sponsored XJR-9s debuted at the 24 Hours of Daytona, taking the overall win. However, throughout the rest of the IMSA Camel GTP season, the XJR-9 was unable to gain another win until the final race of the season, resulting in the team finishing third in the constructor's championship.
In the 1988 World Sports Prototype Championship, the XJR-9, running Silk Cut sponsorship, met with more success. The XJR-9 took six victories, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, over the eleven-race series. Silk Cut Jaguar won the Teams Championship, and Jaguar driver Martin Brundle won the Drivers title. Jaguar's success at Le Mans marked the first time since 1980 that Porsche had not won Le Mans, and the first Le Mans victory for Jaguar since 1957.
For 1989, the XJR-9 was again entered in both IMSA Camel GTP and the World Sports Prototype Championship. However, the XJR-9 was by now dated, and in IMSA was being repeatedly beaten by Nissan, leaving the XJR-9 with only a single win on the season. This led to Jaguar introducing the XJR-10 midway through the season, which met with slightly better success having two wins on the season and usually placing higher than the XJR-9 it ran with. At the end of the season, Jaguar finished 2nd in the championship.
A similar story occurred in the 1989 World Sports Prototype Championship, with Jaguar not winning a single race during the series. Midway through the championship, the XJR-11 was developed to replace the XJR-9, although both finished out the season. This disappointment led to Jaguar finishing fourth in the Teams Championship.
Within months of Jaguar's 1988 Le Mans victory, TWR would use the XJR-9 chassis for the development of the R9R prototype which by 1990 had evolved into the XJR-15 sports car and spec-racer.
In 2010, the car won the Le Mans Legend race.
Type: 60 degree SOHC 24 valve V12
Position: Mid, Longitudinally mounted
Displacement: 6,995 cc (427 cu in) (World Sports Prototype Championship); 5,996 cc (366 cu in) (IMSA GTP)
Bore: 94 mm (3.7 in)
Stroke: 84 mm (3.3 in)
Compression: 12:1
Injection: Zytek fuel injection
Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
Power: 750 hp (760 PS; 559 kW) at 7,200 rpm
Torque: 828 N⋅m (611 lb⋅ft) at 5,500 rpm
Body: Carbon Composite body
Chassis: Carbon fibre and Kevlar monocoque
Front Suspension: Double wishbones, push-rod activated coil springs over dampers
Rear Suspension: Magnesium uprights, titanium coil springs over dampers
Steering: Rack and pinion power steering
Brakes: TWR ventilated discs
Transmission: March/TWR 5-speed manual transmission
Layout: Rear-wheel drive
Power to weight ratio: 0.85bhp/kg
Top speed: 245 mph (394 km/h)
This article is based on information from the Wikipedia article “Jaguar XJR-9”. Additional information regarding the year of the Daytona win was sourced from the Wikipedia article “Tom Walkinshaw Racing”. No primary archives, autobiographies, period programmes, or specialist publications were consulted.