Jaguar's XJ13 as Malcolm Sayer Intended

[XJ13]

Afternoon Gents. For those who have asked - a bit about progress so far:

"The Gathering"

"Sand-Casting Bellhousings"

"Then and Now"

"Engine Startup"

"Second Startup"

More stuff here - more ...

[EskimoArapaho]

Interesting. I popped into Gaydon after the last Sunday Service and saw (what I suppose is) the original. So very, very low.

[XJ13]

39 1/2" (when it has its intended 4" ground clearance) - a mite lower than the GT40.

[dig123]

Amazing car, but photo looks like a scale model.

[XJ13]

It is - its 1:1 scale

[ToneyCaroney]

More pictures please XJ13
That truly is a tease.

[Mopar440]

Why is it as Malcolm Sayer intended?

[XJ13]

Because it was changed during its rebuild after it was heavily crashed in 1971 Lucy.

[Mopar440]

I see!

So this is the real thing then?

Amazing.

[XJ13]

I wish .....

Nope - there was only ever one Jaguar XJ13 and this isn't it The one and only original (owned by Jaguar Heritage) is different in many respects from when it was first built. My car is no more than a facsimile of the 1966 original.

Edited by XJ13 on Friday 6th March 22:13

[samj2014]

Amazing, I do a little work with various manufacturing technologies (mostly 3D printing and some CNC milling/routing), the casting of the bell housing is fascinating stuff, you seem to be pretty accomplished with CAD! What software did you use for that?

[XJ13]

Hi Sam - I used SolidWorks for the bellhousing.

We have so many technologies available to us now that simply weren't around when these (and similar) cars were first built. It does make me appreciate and respect the old skills all the more. We would now draw something in CAD on a computer screen, check that everything fits, maybe check weights while it is still on the screen. Perhaps even carry out stress analyses etc. We can then design casting patterns for the component (still on a computer screen) that ensure molten metal properly reaches all parts of the mold with no porosity etc. After that, we can 3D print the patterns.

In the past, the engineer would sharpen his pencil, draw it out on paper then have a craftsman produce wooden patterns from the drawing. Those who worked in this way (and those who still do) are nothing less than artists in my opinion!

[samj2014]

Absolutely! Though there is certainly skill involved in the modern methods, I have a lot of respect for anyone who can carry out the traditional techniques.

[DonkeyApple]

Lovely looking thing.

What's the reason in needing to repeatedly point out that 'there is only ine XJ13' throughout the site?

[Roy C]

DonkeyApple said:

What's the reason in needing to repeatedly point out that 'there is only one XJ13' throughout the site?

I imagine its because there are an increasing number of replicas out there (although none as close to original spec as Neville's), so casual observers may think Jaguar made several.

I can't wait to see it "in paint."

[XJ13]

Roy C said:

DonkeyApple said:

What's the reason in needing to repeatedly point out that 'there is only one XJ13' throughout the site?

I imagine its because there are an increasing number of replicas out there (although none as close to original spec as Neville's), so casual observers may think Jaguar made several.

I can't wait to see it "in paint."

The main reason is that Jaguar are very sensitive about the uniqueness of their car. They themselves requested the emphasis. There have been rumours in the past of more than one original. All replicas (mine included) can never be more than facsimiles.

I know that subscribers to Pistonheads are likely to be rather more knowledgeable than most about cars in general but other visitors to my own personal site may not be as aware and it sometimes pays to labour the point for the benefit of the casual observer.

[DonkeyApple]

XJ13 said:

Roy C said:

DonkeyApple said:

What's the reason in needing to repeatedly point out that 'there is only one XJ13' throughout the site?

I imagine its because there are an increasing number of replicas out there (although none as close to original spec as Neville's), so casual observers may think Jaguar made several.

I can't wait to see it "in paint."

The main reason is that Jaguar are very sensitive about the uniqueness of their car. They themselves requested the emphasis. There have been rumours in the past of more than one original. All replicas (mine included) can never be more than facsimiles.

I know that subscribers to Pistonheads are likely to be rather more knowledgeable than most about cars in general but other visitors to my own personal site may not be as aware and it sometimes pays to labour the point for the benefit of the casual observer.

Thanks. I suspected something along these lines.

I'm just surprised that it's needed as I always thought every man and his dog knew there was only one and that most knew it had been rebuilt after a crash etc.

As a child, I recall Dickie Attwood telling me about the car and it's a truly beautiful thing. Such a shame it never saw action. I'm always reminded of the XJ13 when I see pictures of the latest Jag supercar prototype and the fact they haven't taken that further (yet).

[Mr Tidy]

Fantastic project!
Congratulations on your progress to date.
I just hope I get to see (and better still hear) the finished article.

[RoverP6B]

Been following this build for some time... what hope of seeing it at Goodwood dicing with the GT40s, Lola T70s and so on?

The next logical step might be to do a high-tail 7-litre version to go chasing McLarens in the Can-Am/Group 9 class...

[XJ13]

RoverP6B said:

The next logical step might be to do a high-tail 7-litre version to go chasing McLarens in the Can-Am/Group 9 class...

Now that's a thought

When Le Mans proposed a reduction to a maximum of 3 litres Malcolm Sayer made a couple of designs which never saw the light of day. Perhaps one of these instead?