Jaguar XJR-9: Pic of the Week
Thirty years on from that famous Le Mans victory, the V12 Jag takes pride of place as Pic of the Week
Three decades ago this weekend (alright, actually the 11th and 12th June 1988, but it's close enough), the Jaguar XJR-9 took a momentous first place at Le Mans. Not only did it end seven years of Porsche dominance at La Sarthe, it was also Jaguar's first Le Mans triumph in more than 30 years, since the last D-Type victory of 1957.
It wasn't easy, either, with the Porsche 962 of Hans Stuck, Klaus Ludwig and Derek Bell - not a bad trio of drivers, it must be said - finishing on the same 394 laps as the 7.0-litre Jag. However, despite gearbox problems and eight Porsches also in the top 10, the XJR9 of Jan Lammers, Andy Wallace and Johnny Dumfries was first across the line.
Given we're now 30 years from that success (and nearly 30 years from Jaguar's last win at Le Mans, with the XJR-12 in 1990), there seemed no better time to remind ourselves what a wild racing car the XJR-9 is. In a world where the most dramatic Jaguar road car was an XJS it must have looked completely absurd; even in the 21st century, with all the incredible racing cars we see in motorsport, nothing quite gets people going like the Silk Cut XJR9. The livery, the covered wheels, the kerb scraping stance and the deranged V12 shriek means the XJR9 is as revered 30 years later as it's ever been, and will hopefully continue to be as 40, 50 and 60 years pass since its win. What a car.
Now all you have to do is choose your desktop resolution below to spruce up your screensaver with some Silk Cut. And see you at Le Mans!
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