Before the Jaguar XJ220 came the XJR-15, and while
it doesn’t have a top speed to rival its successor, it holds a special place in
the brand’s history.
Unbeknownst to most, the XJR-15 was the first
road-going production car to use a carbon fiber monocoque. It was also
restricted to just 53 examples worldwide. Now one of those has appeared for
sale on DD Classics in Germany.
The listing says that the mid-engine supercar has
just 600 miles on the odo and is one of just 25 of the more luxurious ‘street
versions’ with air conditioning, leather trim and a five-speed all-synchro
transmission.
In 1991, the car was originally exported to Germany
and kept in storage for most of the next 17 years until it was imported into
the UK with just 250 miles on the odometer. When the UK buyer took ownership, a
six-year re-commissioning totaling £ 98,000 (US$ 133,000) was overseen by Don Law
Racing.
Like all other road-going XJR-15’s, it is powered by
a naturally-aspirated 6.0-liter V12 engine with Cosworth aluminum pistons, a
forged crankshaft and electronically-controlled sequential fuel injection. All
up, there is 450 hp on tap, enough to propel the 1050 kg to 96 km/h in under four seconds and to a top speed of almost 320
km/h.
No asking price has been made public by the seller,
but we expect a figure in excess of US$ 500,000.
