Jaguar XJR-5 GTP Race Car, 1982
Jaguar XJR
Jaguar XJR•
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- Body: GTP Race Car
- Serial Number 001, the very first XJR-5 constructed
- XJR-5 project represented Jaguar’s re-entry into international motorsports after a 20 year absence
- Bob Tullius’ American firm, Group 44, constructed the car for competition in North America’s IMSA GTP class
- The XJR-5 was instantly victorious with initial outing 3rd place at Road America driven by Bob Tullius and Bill Adams
- Invited to the 2000 Goodwood Festival of Speed where it was exhibited by Tullius himself
- Purchased by the current owner directly from Group 44
- This one owner vehicle was the subject of a massive restoration
- Rebuilt suspension, brakes, air jack, cooling and oiling system
- Engine rebuilt by marquee specialist Ed Pink and dyno tested at 625 HP
- Successfully track tested in December 2010 at Willow Springs by period racer Rick Knoop
- This vehicle cannot be overlooked as a historically significant piece of Jaguar’s prototype compteition history
After 20 years of building and racing English cars to 13 SCCA national titles and three Trans Am Championships, in 1980 Bob Tullius’ Group 44 Inc. racing team was facing a grim future. The team’s TR8 racer was no longer useful to its corporate sponsor Triumph, which was ceasing production, and no other patron was on the horizon. That is when Jaguar Managing Director John Egan summoned Tullius and Jaguar North America’s VP of Sales and Marketing Mike Dale to Coventry to discuss his strategy to revitalize Jaguar’s performance image.
Beginning with a North American racing program, the plan was centered on building a prototype to meet both IMSA GTP and FIA World Endurance Manufacturer’s Championship rule books. The result was this car, the 1982 XJR-5 Serial Number 001. Designer Lee Dykstra designed the XJR-5’s chassis and aerodynamics, creating a smoothly contoured and aggressive shape and taking full advantage of the long and narrow Jaguar V-12 engine to accommodate large ground effects tunnels for downforce.
The XJR-5 was otherwise quite conventional; an aluminum tub, Kevlar composite body panels, coilover A-arm suspension with Lockheed disc brakes and the V-12 powerplant topped not with sophisticated fuel injection, turbos or engine controls (those would come later) but a half-dozen good old-fashioned dual-throat Weber 48 carburetors. Sleek, powerful and easy to drive, the XJR-5 co-driven by Tullius and Bill Adams showed its potential immediately with a 3rd place overall at Road America in August 1982 and then a 2nd at Laguna Seca in 1983. Successive XJR-5 racers were built, competing in both the IMSA and FIA series including the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
XJR-5 001 remained in Tullius’ ownership and the two were reunited on the track at the 2000 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The car was purchased by the current owner direct from Group 44, effectively making it a one-owner vehicle. Period race driver and innovative engineer Jim Busby, having recently restored Jaguar XJR-5 010, was contracted to restore 001 to full event readiness for the current owner. The work was done without regard for expense, and the results are evident in the smallest detail. Every system was subjected to a thorough overhaul, and the engine was rebuilt by marque specialist Ed Pink to a dyno-tested 625 HP.
The car was successfully track tested at Willow Springs by veteran driver Rick Knoop, who pronounced it “incredibly easy to drive.” It presents in spectacular fashion thanks to Busby’s characteristically thorough preparation. Jaguar XJR-5 001 represents Jaguar’s re-entry into international motorsports after a two-decade absence, and with a GTP win by endurance racing legends Tullius and Bill Adams to its credit, is a historically significant piece of Jaguar’s prototype competition history, a status that is sure to make it a popular attraction at vintage events the world over.
https://www.mecum.com/lots/161552/1982-jaguar-xjr-5-gtp-race-car/
