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XJ13 was a stunning one-off concept car completed by Jaguar
in March 1966 and was designed to compete at Le Mans to develop
and promote their new V12 engine. By the mid-60s Le Mans was
dominated by mid-engined Sports Racing cars such as the Ford
GT40 so it was no surprise when the XJ13 appeared with its V12
mounted longitudinally behind the driver. |
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body was of monocoque construction, built from 18 gauge aluminium
sheeting, with double bulkheads at the front attached to two
broad, deep sills. |
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was a stressed floor and a single bulkhead behind the driving
compartment to which the V12 engine was attached. This |
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structure was clothed with a smooth flowing aluminium skin,
with an open driver's compartment and a clear perspex canopy
over the rear engine bay. |
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it was developed too late to be competitive and by late 1966
Jaguar was taken over by the British Motor Corporation (BMC).
The project was shelved and the XJ13 was put into storage. The
next time the car was seen was in 1971 when it was taken to
the MIRA circuit to make a promotional film for the official
release of the V12 engine. But something went wrong and the
car crashed and was extensively damaged, fortunately without
injury to Jaguar's famous test driver, Norman Dewis. It was
later rebuilt and is now on display in the Jaguar Museum in
England. |
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a one-off development exercise it was never put into production
or driven on the road, a decision that was greatly regretted
by Jaguar enthusiasts worldwide. |
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the concept has by no means died. At Temperos we have a love
of all things Jaguar and in the early 1990's we undertook a
project to develop the XJ13 to its logical stage. A major target
was to ensure our recreation was faithful to the original concept
developed by Derrick White and Malcom Sayer in the 1960's. Accordingly,
intensive efforts were made during the development phase to
ensure the total accuracy of the Tempero car when compared to
the original car in the Jaguar museum |
| Jaguar's
one-off XJ13 was a prototype that was never designed for the
rigours of long term use. It was built to race just once at
Le Mans and so was made as light as possible with no concessions
to comfort, durability or longevity. In contrast Tempero's
cars are designed to last for generations and so have to be
tough and durable, with a fanatical attention to detail to
satisfy the exacting standards of modern buyers. |
Built by craftsmen to the highest standards, the body of the
Tempero XJ13 faithfully follows the fabulous style of the original
prototype but has been considerably strengthened by the use
of 16 gauge aluminium sheeting in place of Jaguar's 18 gauge.
The small weight penalty is more than offset by the improved
durability of the car |
click here for more XJ13 information |
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