Jaguar XJR-11

Posted on September 6, 2018 by classiccarweekly

1990 Jaguar XJR-11 Group C

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 8, 2018

Photo – Bonhams

Jaguar was pretty heavily invested in Group C Prototype Sports Car racing in the late 1980s. They dominated in 1988 and had successes prior to that as well. But by the end of the decade, turbocharged cars were beginning to rule, so Jaguar worked with TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing, the team running their factory effort) to get in on the turbo action.

The XJR-11 was introduced in July 1989 and would be replaced by the XJR-14 for the 1991 season. The engine that they came up with was a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 (for the Group C car, IMSA cars had a 3.0-liter version) capable of 750 horsepower. A slightly more reliable and de-tuned version of this engine would also power the XJ220 road car.

This particular chassis (490) competed in the 1990 World Sportscar Championship (WSC) with drivers Martin Brundle, Jan Lammers, and Alain Ferté. Turbochargers were outlawed in WSC for 1991, so this car went to Japan and competed in the 1991 All-Japan Sports Prototype Championship. Following that, it returned to TWR where it was restored and sold to a private owner.

The car competed in historic racing until 2010 when it was restored again to its WSC Silk Cut livery. This represents a pretty awesome opportunity to acquire a really good-looking, late Group C car in one of the best liveries of the era. It should bring between $1,500,000-$1,900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $1,542,582.

Nissan R87E

Posted on June 24, 2014 by classiccarweekly

1987 Nissan R87E

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | June 27, 2014

Photo – Bonhams

Nissan built some pretty awesome Group C racing prototypes in the late-80s and early-90s even if they didn’t have much on-track success. The R87E was their 1987 car and their third attempt at breaking into the Group C world. It used a chassis supplied by March Engineering of the U.K. and an in-house designed-and-built engine.

The powerplant is a 3.0-liter twin turbo V-8 making in excess of 750 horsepower. This was a step up from their previous car’s 700hp V-6. 1987 was a disastrous year for Nissan’s program, running only two events and failing to finish both. So for 1988, this car was upgraded to R88C specification and it ran at Le Mans again in 1988. Here is it’s 1988 competition history:

1988 Fuji 500km – DNF (with Kazuyoshi Hoshino and Kenji Takahashi)
1988 Suzuka 500km – 6th (with Hoshino and Takahashi)
1988 Fuji 1000km (May) – 7th (with Win Percy, Hoshino and Takahashi)
1988 24 Hours of Le Mans – 29th, DNF (with Aguri Suzuki, Takao Wada and Hoshino)
1988 Fuji 500 miles – 5th (with Hoshino and Takahashi)
1988 Suzuka 1000km – DNF (with Toshio Suzuki, Hoshino and Takahashi)
1988 Fuji 1000km (October) – 9th (with Allan Grice, Hoshino and Takahashi)

This car was sold and restored to R87E specification with 1988 Calsonic livery and a 3.3-liter development version of the 3.0-liter Nissan V-8 – making 780 horsepower. Bonhams says the engine has been run for less than an hour since rebuild. Only three of these were built and this one should bring between $710,000-$810,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Not sold.

Aston Martin AMR1

Posted on April 30, 2014 by classiccarweekly

1989 Aston Martin AMR1

Offered by RM Auctions | Monaco | May 10, 2014

Photo – RM Auctions

Strangely, Aston Martin entered the LMP arena in 2011 with a car called the AMR-One. Not to be confused with this, the 1989 AMR1. Apparently, the folks at Aston Martin only write things down and never say them out loud.

This is a Group C prototype from Aston Martin that went up against the likes of Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche during the heyday of Group C racing. This is a ground effects car that generates massive amounts of downforce. The engine is a Callaway-massaged 6.0-liter Aston Martin V-8 making 723 horsepower. The racing history of this car includes:

1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Brands Hatch – 4th (with David Leslie and Brian Redman)
1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Nurburgring – 8th (with Leslie and Redman)
1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Donington – 6th (with Leslie and Michael Roe)
1989 World Sports Prototype Championship Spa – 28th, DNF (with Leslie and Roe)

And that was it for this car. Only four of these prototype racers were built and this is considered the best, most-original example around. It was sold from Aston Martin directly to the current owner in 2001. It has been regularly exercised on track at historic events, setting the fastest race lap at the 2013 Monterey Historics.

It comes with extensive spares and should sell for between $975,000-$1,400,000. Click here for more info and here for more from RM Auctions.

S/N# AMR1/04

Update: Not Sold, high bid of $825,660.

Update: Sold, RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2017: $616,000.

Silk Cut Jaguar

Posted on September 9, 2013 by classiccarweekly

1987 Jaguar XJR-8

Offered by Bonhams | Chichester, U.K. | September 14, 2013

The XJR-line of Jaguar sports racing cars was a nine-year program that Jaguar initiated (with the help of the race car specialists at Tom Walkinshaw Racing) with the aim of dominating both the World Sportscar Championship and the IMSA Camel GTP Series. The cars were impressive – winning Le Mans twice – and the experience led Jaguar to produce two other-worldly road-going supercars: the XJ220 and XJR-15.

The XJR-8 was the fourth iteration and it was focused solely on the WSC. The Silk Cut livery began in 1986 and was a staple of Jaguar endurance cars through the early 1990s. The difference between and XJR-6 and the XJR-8 is mostly engine-related, as they share the same basic structure underneath. The engine is a 7.0-liter V-12 making in the neighborhood of 750 horsepower.

The racing resume of this car includes:

1987 24 Hours of Le Mans – 5th (with Eddie Cheever, Raul Boesel, and Jan Lammers)
1987 1000km Spa – 1st (with Martin Brundle, Johnny Dumfries, & Boesel)

Raul Boesel would go on to win the 1987 WSC Driver’s championship, with TWR-Jaguar winning the Teams Championship. After it’s racing career, the car was acquired from the TWR team by an unnamed racing driver who has owned it since. It has been freshened and is ready to run. Apparently, only four were built (or at least run by this team that had factory support). It should sell for between $1,400,000-$1,900,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams at Goodwood.

Update: Sold for a mysterious sum of less than $1.4 million.

S/N: 3.87