THE ORIGINAL XJ13

The traumatic life of a unique V12 beauty

Perhaps it is the fact that only one was ever made – and then remade – that lends the Jaguar XJ13 such enduring mystique. Or maybe it is the fact that, despite having all the right qualities on paper, it never served the sole purpose of its existence: to race. That in itself, given the technical advancement of the car, raises a whole heap of ‘what ifs’. Most likely, however, it is simply that it is one of the sleekest, most beautiful cars ever built. And it is British.

Taking six years from Bill Heynes first mooting the subject of a mid-engined racer, the XJ13’s slippery shape was, of course, created by Jaguar legend and aerodynamic guru Malcolm Sayer. Heynes led the small team that created the car before it was tested extensively, primarily by British F1 driver David Hobbs, but also by Norman Dewis and also, once, Richard Attwood. It was said to be brilliantly rapid, but the potential cost of development to put it on a par with the Ferraris and the new Ford GT40 was too much for the company following its recent merger with BMC. The XJ13 was shelved… with its most notorious moment still to come.

With Jaguar about to launch the V12-engined Series 3 E-type, its V12 predecessor was brought out of retirement purely for publicity purposes. While making a film of it at the MIRA proving ground in 1971, it crashed heavily and, though driver Dewis walked away unharmed, the same could not be said of the crumpled XJ13. It was later rebuilt by Abbey Panels, but was acknowledged not to be identical to the pre-crash car.