Jaguar XJ13 Prototype to Make Le Mans Debut 50 Years After It Was Born

Fifty years after Bob Blake built the Malcolm Sayer-designed prototype racer, the XJ13 will finally get to race on the Circuit de la Sarthe this weekend at the Le Mans Classic. “Why didn’t this car get to compete back in its day?” The simple answer to that is regulations. By limiting engine capacity to 3.0 liters, the XJ13 and its 5.0-liter V12 engine were suddenly out of the running.

And so, the awe-inspiring prototype missed its chance to shine on the endurance racing stage. Furthermore, the car was badly crashed in 1971 when it was taken to the MIRA proving ground in the heart of the UK for a publicity shoot. Even though chief test driver Norman Dewis got to tell the story of that horrific crash, the car was in a much worse shape.

Be that as it may, Jaguar rebuilt it and the XJ13 finally made its public debut in 1973 during the British Grand Prix. Now, though, the bite-the-back-of-your-hand beautiful racing car is heading back to the track it was created for. Better still, it will take part in a 100-car parade of old-school Jaguars.

Tim Hannig, the director of the Jaguar Land Rover Classic division, is just as excited as I am about the better-late-than-never debut at Le Mans:

“We have such an incredible history at this circuit, and it’s just a shame that the XJ13 never had the opportunity to write its own chapter there in period. No celebration of Jaguar’s heritage would be complete without the XJ13 and we’re incredibly excited about hearing that incredible mid-mounted V12 flat-out on the Mulsanne straight. Added to that, the record grid of pre-1966 Jaguars participating in the Jaguar Classic Challenge means it’s going to be a truly memorable part of a very special Jaguar presence at Le Mans Classic.”