Great Drive in the Jaguar XJR-15

[BoxerF50]

Yesterday I had a great drive in the XJR-15. The big break through in terms of driving was realising that it really is set up as a race car and needs to be driven like one. I.e. you need to set it up in advance for each change of direction, gear shift, braking, etc. Driving it for the 3rd or 4th time on the same roads that I know well, it just all came together. First time I can really say this, we really started to bond. In general I have a set route that I take for most of the short weekend runs out that is a roughly 20 mile loop. Yesterday at the end of the loop, I wanted to keep going. Every time in the past, making it to the end has brought with it a feeling of relief -------akin to riding the dragon and surviving. This time, it all flowed. Part of it is having just that much more experience behind the wheel and knowing the "15" that much better. Part of it is the "15" getting a few more miles under its wheels after far too many years sitting in a private collection. The handling continues to improve as the tyres bed in and the suspension gets more work. Everything feels like it is now moving that much more smoothly. The clutch is very different from any other car I have driven, but once you get used to it, it quite manageable. Power from the 6 liter V12 even 20 years later, is brain mashing. Put your foot down in 2nd gear (with all four wheels pointing straight ahead) and it just flies. A quick upshift into 3rd and you are not far from hitting triple digits. The steering rack is geared for the track, so it requires plenty of input to navigate on the road. The lack of any sort of insulation or sound deadening imparts the impression that you really are strapped to the front of a rocket. Headphones are a must and the totality of the experience is exhilarating. It is a car that is truly alive.

[BoxerF50]

Triple7 said:

Fabulous, are you coming to Gaydon on Sunday for the PH SS? Be great to see & hear the '15'.

I was considering it. Weather killed the idea. 160 mile round trip in the XJR15 in the rain just was not going to be much fun.

I am planning on taking it out for a run tomorrow though.

Edited by BoxerF50 on Saturday 19th March 10:26

[BoxerF50]

No, it will be in the Ascot/Woking area.

[BoxerF50]

Tried the new in-car camera on today's drive:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI2MUxluEYY

Edited by BoxerF50 on Monday 21st March 22:14

[BoxerF50]

johnxjsc1985 said:

What a lovely sound. Great to see its being driven as it was meant to be.

Thanks. On the sound, that is still at fairly civilized rpms. Did not push it much north of 4000 rpm.

[BoxerF50]

johnxjsc1985 said:

I thought it sounded "tame" compared to some of the youtube footage.

The mic on the the recording unit is very basic. Will need to get a better external option.

[BoxerF50]

BoxerF50 said:

Tried the new in-car camera on today's drive:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI2MUxluEYY

Edited by BoxerF50 on Monday 21st March 22:14

This was shot by one of the Ferraris following the XJR-15:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4el9cyL8W8

[BoxerF50]

johnxjsc1985 said:

Love to know what the Ferrari and Lambo drivers said about it. Cant you persuade Jaguar to give you a set of Jag Ear muffs.

Very complimentary on the XJR-15. Regarding Jaguar, can't get the time of day from them.

[BoxerF50]

Jagmanv12 said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4el9cyL8W8
This was in my area.
Was this a private run or open to other Ferraris, Lambos, etc?
If the next one is open can I bring my 550?
PM me if necessary.

It was a ScudItalia run. Please PM me for details.

[BoxerF50]

BoxerF50 said:

Yesterday I had a great drive in the XJR-15. The big break through in terms of driving was realising that it really is set up as a race car and needs to be driven like one. I.e. you need to set it up in advance for each change of direction, gear shift, braking, etc. Driving it for the 3rd or 4th time on the same roads that I know well, it just all came together. First time I can really say this, we really started to bond. In general I have a set route that I take for most of the short weekend runs out that is a roughly 20 mile loop. Yesterday at the end of the loop, I wanted to keep going. Every time in the past, making it to the end has brought with it a feeling of relief -------akin to riding the dragon and surviving. This time, it all flowed. Part of it is having just that much more experience behind the wheel and knowing the "15" that much better. Part of it is the "15" getting a few more miles under its wheels after far too many years sitting in a private collection. The handling continues to improve as the tyres bed in and the suspension gets more work. Everything feels like it is now moving that much more smoothly. The clutch is very different from any other car I have driven, but once you get used to it, it quite manageable. Power from the 6 liter V12 even 20 years later, is brain mashing. Put your foot down in 2nd gear (with all four wheels pointing straight ahead) and it just flies. A quick upshift into 3rd and you are not far from hitting triple digits. The steering rack is geared for the track, so it requires plenty of input to navigate on the road. The lack of any sort of insulation or sound deadening imparts the impression that you really are strapped to the front of a rocket. Headphones are a must and the totality of the experience is exhilarating. It is a car that is truly alive.

Took the XJR-15 and the K'egg out for back to back drives on Saturday. With each time out, the XJR-15 continues to get better on the road. Having now learned the gearbox, it actually is a great fast thing to use. You basically can run from 1st thru 5th just by moving your wrist. Engine is much happier now and the power really pours on when you put a bit of right foot into it. One trick I have just learned is to keep on the brakes slightly at turn in on higher speed corners. It forces the front end down and you get a bit more bite. It offsets the natural understeer.

[BoxerF50]

I prodded the beast into life again on Sunday. First time "15" had seen the open road in far too many weeks. Even coaxed #1 son into coming out with me. Despite the long slumber, oil pressure came right up on the pre start procedure, and it fired up on the first flick of the ignition toggle switch. Next came the extended warming up before heading out. On the 15, you need to hold the revs at 2000 rpm and wait for the water temp to reach 70-80 degrees before hitting the road. It would make for a horrible getaway car. Everything warmed up right on cue and we were off on a 20 mile loop to give it a decent run. The "15" continues to get better the more it is driven, and the more you drive it, the more everything comes together. It is not a car you will bond with in a day or two, more like a long term relationship that develops over many months. When it all come together and everything flows smoothly, it is a unique exhilarating car to drive, really unlike anything else I have ever owned. As you roll down the road, all your senses are constantly engaged (or better be if you want to stay on the road). Raw, very fast, high strung, and beautifully designed for what it was made to do. One thing that struck me at the end of the drive when we were stopped and I took a moment to look around the cabin, was how it reminded me of sitting in a fighter plane cockpit. It is tight but not uncomfortable, everything clearly marked and easy to read, good visibility forward and to both sides, and all the controls within easy reach and operatable with a minimum of movement. Changing gears in particular is done really with nothing more than a flick of the wrist.

[BoxerF50]

Just sent the XJR-15 off to get a new fuel cell installed. Not a small job as a lot of the car needs to be taken apart to gain access.

[BoxerF50]

BoxerF50 said:

Just sent the XJR-15 off to get a new fuel cell installed. Not a small job as a lot of the car needs to be taken apart to gain access.

A few pictures from the service. It is being done at Carrs Ferrari in Exeter. Head mechanic is brilliant.

Edited by BoxerF50 on Saturday 13th August 18:57

[BoxerF50]

Straight6DOHC said:

I appreciate your posts BX. It's very seldom I'll get to see these parts of this type of car. Nice one.
Like I said, appreciated.

Thanks.

[BoxerF50]

hurstg01 said:

Dragging this back up, anyone got any scans of this weeks Autosport magazine, with the 4 page article on the XJR-15?; first 2 pages are of the races and history for the car, and final 2 pages show what makes the car.

http://plus.autosport.com/free/feature/3833/magazi...

I will definitely try to pick up a copy today.

[BoxerF50]

Got a copy, will scan and post it on Monday.

[BoxerF50]

The XJR-15 is back from service now. As usual Mark, Harvey and the guys at Carrs in Exeter did a great job. "15" is running extremely well now and we were out for about a 45 minute drive today. With the new fuel cell in place, the rather horrid petrol odor that used to waft through the cockpit is gone. This instantly makes the drivers seat a much more pleasant place to be now. It is still a wonderful physical car to drive and when you get it "right" it all comes together beautifully. The more time spent behind the wheel, the better the car drives. It feels like it is "sticking" to the road better which just serves to increase the drivers confidence and enjoyment. Add in all the sensory stimulus coming from both the engine and drive train and it makes for a great pure driving experience. Net net, todays drive was a great one .

[BoxerF50]

pmutch said:

Boxer - you mentioned earlier about the lack of support from Jaguar , this seems to be a common theme with English manufacturers as have experienced the same with AM when it comes to assistance with my Vanquish.For you , the good news is that you dont need the factory......

Don Miles bought all the rights to XJR15 when TWR when down , this includes all blueprints , moulds etc in fact everything to make a complete car which was exactly what i saw when i last visited Don.He seems to be a really nice chap , ran an XJR5 in the group C revival series and certainly helped me out when it came to re-building a 7 litre jaguar engine.

So if you need parts or advice he'd be the first person i'd contact.

Many thanks for the advice. Do you have a contact number or email address for Don Miles?

I originally thought Don Law owned all the moulds but I guess that is for the XJ220 only.

[BoxerF50]

Went in convoy with 5 XJ220's up to Silverstone a few weekends ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Q5ExlfMp8

[BoxerF50]

hurstg01 said:

Nice!

I like this vid too, from one of the XJ220's...

+1, on the XJ220 video. First time I have seen what the XJR-15 looks like on the road.