The Jaguar XJ220 was the British automaker’s final street automobile of the early Nineteen Nineties, however a handful of those supercars additionally raced on the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A kind of XJ220 Le Mans automobiles is heading to a sale from public sale home RM Sotheby’s on November 19 at France’s Circuit Paul Ricard.
This 1993 Jaguar XJ220 C LM is one in every of three that competed at Le Mans that yr (a fourth automobile was additionally constructed however not raced). The race automobiles had been ready by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR), which was additionally closely concerned in improvement of the XJ220 road car. TWR gained Le Mans because the Jaguar manufacturing facility crew in 1988 and 1990 with the XJR-9LM and XJR-12 prototypes, respectively.
The racing model of the XJ220 used the identical 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 because the street automobile. This engine was additionally used within the XJR-10 and XJR-11 prototypes, so TWR had some earlier expertise racing it.
1993 Jaguar XJ220 C LM (photograph through RM Sotheby’s)
This automobile—TWR serial quantity 003—was pushed by Jay Cochran and Paul Belmondo, in addition to Andreas Fuchs who was behind the wheel when a tire failed at excessive velocity on the Mulsanne Straight. Regardless of a spin, Fuchs was in a position to cowl the automobile with out hitting something and limped again to the pits. Nonetheless, injury from the self-destructing tire was unrepairable, and the automobile was retired after 176 laps.
Serial number 002 crossed the road first within the GT class (and fifteenth total), however was later disqualified for not having catalytic converters. Jaguar did not return to Le Mans with the XJ220, however serial quantity 003 was entered by a privateer crew within the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans. It retired with engine failure after 135 laps.
The automobile was later bought to a member of the Jaguar Membership of Japan and crashed. The injury was repaired by XJ220 specialist Don Regulation Racing, and the automobile was then bought to present proprietor Jean Guikas. It is being auctioned off with the remainder of Guikas’ assortment, and is anticipated to promote for between $1.1 million and $1.6 million.
