Jaguar · 1990–1992

Jaguar XJR-15

The Jaguar Sport XJR-15 is a two-seater sports car of which a limited number were produced by JaguarSport, a subsidiary of Jaguar and Tom Walkinshaw Racing, between 1990 and 1992. Only 50 were planned (although 53 chassis were eventually made), each selling for £500,000. The chassis was mechanically based on the Le Mans-winning XJR-9, designed by Tony Southgate. The body of the XJR-15 was designed by Peter Stevens, who went on to co-design the McLaren F1. The car competed in a single-make racing series called the Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge, which supported three Formula 1 races (Monaco, Silverstone and Spa) in 1991. The XJR-15 was the world's first road-car made entirely from carbon-fibre.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Jaguar XJR Sportscars · Successor: Jaguar XJ220

All Jaguar XJR-15 data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

Tom Walkinshaw conceived the concept in 1988 after seeing the XJ220 concept at the British Motor Show. Following Jaguar's success at Le Mans, he enlisted Peter Stevens to develop a road-going version of the XJR-9, originally designated the R-9R. A number of wealthy racing enthusiasts were keen to own such a car and pressed Walkinshaw into manufacturing a 'road going racer'. This car was originally intended to be a better alternative to the XJ220. Original owners included Derek Warwick, Bob Wollek, Vern Schuppan, Matt Aitken, Andy Evans and the Sultan of Brunei. In order to adapt the XJR-9 for road use, Stevens made a number of modifications to increase space and improve access. "Taking the race car as a base, we widened the cockpit by 75 mm (3.0 in) and raised the roof by 40 mm (1.6 in) to allow more headroom", he said when interviewed in 1991. "The scale model was ready by Easter 1989, from there we went to clay... which was finished by October (1989). The first prototype was held up by Le Mans preparations but it was ready for Tom (Walkinshaw) to drive when he came back from France in July 1990". TWR explicitly developed the XJR-15 as a road-going racing car, in the mould of the Jaguar C and D types, the Ford GT40 and the Ferrari 250 GTO. As such, the car complied with British construction and use regulations and could be registered by the owner for road-use in the UK, although with such a limited production run, the car was never type-approved. The car's production was announced in a press release on 15 November 1990 with an official launch at Silverstone early in 1991. The XJR-15 was built by JaguarSport in Bloxham, Oxfordshire, (a subsidiary of TWR; it was a joint venture between Jaguar Cars and TWR to produce high performance sports cars) England from 1990 to 1992

Design and reception

The XJR-15 is powered by a 5,993 cc (6.0 L) 450 hp (336 kW), naturally aspirated 24-valve Jaguar V12 engine. The engine features an advanced electronically managed fuel injection system with a very advanced (for its time) 'fly by wire' throttle. The standard transmission is a TWR unsynchronised six-speed manual transmission while a five-speed, synchromesh transmission was also available as an optional extra. The XJR-15's chassis and bodywork are composed of carbon fibre and Kevlar (it was the first road-going car built entirely of carbon and Kevlar composites, before the McLaren F1 used similar construction techniques in 1992). The overall proportions differed from the XJR-9, with the XJR-15 being 480 cm long, 190 cm wide and 110 cm tall. The final weight amounted to be 1,050 kg (2,315 lb). A fully independent suspension was used, with non-adjustable Bilstein shock absorbers all round. Front suspension consists of wide-based wishbones and working push-rods to spring damper units mounted horizontally across the centre of the car. The car retains the rear suspension unit from the XJR-9 with vertical coil-springs mounted in units with uprights within the rear wheels, allowing for the maximum possible venturi tunnels. The engine forms a stressed member for the rear-frame. The bottom of the car is completely flat, in line with Group C practice. The brakes are steel disc units with AP four-piston callipers. The XJR-15 has a 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds and a gearing limited top speed of 191 mph (307 km/h). The ride height was somewhat higher than required to take full advantage of under-body aerodynamics due to the road going nature of the car. Additionally, the suspension was softer than would be found on the XJR-9 racer and - in a last-minute deal - Tom Walkins

Technical specifications

Engine Type: Naturally aspirated 60° V12 Construction: aluminium-alloy block and heads, forged-alloy pistons, nitrided forged EN40B steel crankshaft with Holset harmonic damper, seven main bearings, cast-iron 'wet' cylinder liners, Cosworth pistons Bore X Stroke: 90 mm × 78.5 mm (3.54 in × 3.09 in) Valvetrain: Operated by Single OverHead Camshaft per bank of cylinders, 2 valves per cylinder Fuel System: Zytek fuel injection and electronic engine management Displacement: 5,993 cc (6.0 L; 365.7 cu in) Compression ratio: 11.0:1 Max. Power: 450 hp (336 kW; 456 PS) at 6,250 rpm Specific output: 75.1 hp (56.0 kW; 76.1 PS) per litre Max. Torque: 569 N⋅m (420 lb⋅ft) at 4,500 rpm Engine weight: 299 kilograms (659 lb) including clutch and accessories Transmission The following data is for the TWR 5-speed manual (with synchromesh) Gear Ratio 1st: 3.00 :1 Gear Ratio 2nd: 2.13 :1 Gear Ratio 3rd: 1.66 :1 Gear Ratio 4th: 1.38 :1 Gear Ratio 5th: 1.18 :1 Gear Ratio 6th: 0.91 :1 Final drive ratio: 2.90 :1 AP carbon triple-plate clutch Body Body/Frame type: carbon fibre Body/Chassis details: Carbon fibre and Kevlar composite construction monocoque chassis with engine used as rear suspension load bearer; lightweight composite and carbon fibre reinforced body with under-surface adopting ground-effect, venturi channels' to the rear and regulation flat floor (race trim) Coefficient of Drag: 0.30 Weight distribution: 48% front, 52% rear Wheels/tyres: 17-inch OZ forged alloy wheels (9.5 front/13 rear), Pirelli P Zero tyres. Performance 0–60 mph (97 km/h): 3.2 seconds Top speed: 191 mph (307 km/h) Power to weight ratio: 429.39 hp (320 kW)/tonne

Racing history

According to a press release by Jaguar Sport, a limited number of XJR-15s were built specifically to compete in the 1991 Jaguar Sport Intercontinental Challenge; a three-race competition held throughout the year as a support event for the 1991 Formula One Grand Prix at Monaco, Silverstone, and Spa-Francorchamps. Sixteen cars built in racing specifications were entered in each of the events. The winner of the third and final race, Armin Hahne, was awarded a cash prize of US$1 million. Having parted with nearly US$1m for their cars, most XJR-15 owners wanting to participate in the Intercontinental Challenge got professional drivers to drive the cars. Preparation and maintenance by Jaguar Sport was included in the purchase price of the race cars. At stake for the winners of the first two rounds were a pair of Jaguar XJR-S road cars whilst at the Spa finale there was a US$1m winner-takes-all prize fund. A maximum of 16 grid slots were available for each event and all three were fully subscribed. Derek Warwick emerged on top of the timesheets in qualifying followed by Armin Hahne, Jim Richards, David Brabham and Davy Jones. Rounding out the top ten were Bob Wollek, Tiff Needell, John Nielsen, Ian Flux and Juan Manuel Fangio II. Each race kicked off with a rolling start administered by Tom Walkinshaw and the charge into Ste Devote saw Warwick and Hahne touch several times before Warwick emerged in front. On lap two, John Nielsen ran wide at Tabac and thumped the barriers on both sides of the track before Hahne lost it entering the swimming pool on lap three, luckily emerging unscathed. This allowed Warwick to open up a four-second gap from Brabham, Jones and Fangio before losing it all after locking up into the swimming pool. The Englishman eventually finished seven tenths of

XJR-15 LM

At the end of the production run of the XJR-15, TWR produced a limited run of more powerful variants in collaboration with a British automotive firm XK engineering designated XJR-15 LM for a Japanese customer. These cars had the 7.0-litre V12 shared with the XJR-9 with a power output upwards of 710 PS (522 kW; 700 hp). Bodywork alterations include a larger rear wing, an additional front splitter with air vents in the middle, a modified engine cover with additional vents in order for additional engine cooling and an air intake situated on the roof to aid in cooling the larger engine. Very little is known about the LM variant due to non-availability of records, though there are photos to suggest that at least five cars were produced (three in dark green, one in white and one in the same blue as the standard car which is believed to be the prototype). The blue car was bought by a car collector in the UK sometime after 2013 making it the first XJR-15 LM outside of Japan, thus making the existence of such a variant known.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Jaguar Sport XJR-15
Manufacturer: JaguarSport (a subsidiary of Jaguar operated by TWR)
Assembly: United Kingdom: Bloxham, Oxfordshire
Production: 1990–1992, (53 produced)
Successor: Jaguar XJ220
Class: Sports car (S), Racing car
Body style: 2-door coupé
Engine: 6.0 L Jaguar V12
Transmission: 5-speed manual, 6-speed manual (racing version)
Wheelbase: 2718 mm
Length: 4800 mm
Width: 1900 mm
Height: 1100 mm
Kerb weight: 1050 -
sp: uk
Related: Jaguar XJR-9, Nissan R390 GT1
Designer: Peter Stevens, Tony Southgate

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured facts from Wikidata (CC0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1678533CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_XJR-15CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1361483016 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1991_Jaguar_XJR-15_6.0.jpgCC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Vauxford · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.