RCR's Next car should be.....

[Dalton]

I assume you won't be doing a birdcage Maserati, then, Fran.

Going back to the 904, I think it's a goer. Beautiful styling, mid-engine (preferably air-cooled, to avoid cooling water piping to the nose, but could be V8 if necessary), and basically a race car replica, tho can be used as a road car. Smallish, too, but appears to have the same front overhang/ground clearance problems as the 40. Relatively rare, also (compare with Cobras, say!).

My 2c worth.

[Troy]

Hey Fran,

Was that one of Louis Linxwiler's CalSpyders for sale in the shop?

I looked at getting into one of those yaers ago, right around the time when the lawyers had him change the name. I think he is building Hydrogen powered engines now.

From memory, the original design was used in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, then changes were made to the cars appearance before going into low volume production? Much prefer the movie version!

Anyways, back on topic. Is the XJR14 too close to your own Supercar design?

How about just the rear wing?

[MReid]

Hey, Troy, I had one of Louis' Calspyders. Great car! I wish I still had it:

[Fran Hall RCR]

Troy,
no its not one of his Cal spiders....they are really pretty though.

Supercar is a word thrown around a little too easily nowdays...but thanks for the compliment....the XJR is a little longer in the wheelbase but the SL-C is a similar vain car.....The jags were beautiful cars though....

I like the XJ220 too......but not as much as a D type.....

Pre-digital pics ehh Mark....??

[40inmyfuture]

1968 Alfa-Romeo 33 Stradale

[BigB98]

I do love the Jag. Back in the day, I did nothing but dream about the GTP's. Sat in a 962 back then and told myself that one day I would own a GTP. Well, the prices of the real ones are far out of reach. Fran's coupe may be the direction I go some day, but I would prefer a replica. I liked the Nissans too....I remember when they came on the scene and couldn't lose it seemed. Today's prototype racing is missing something to me.

[Tom]

XJR14 gets my vote as the "dead sexist prototype ever". Beautiful lines, and successful too, if I remember correctly. Does anyone recall what powered that car?

Not the car you'd want to drive on the street though - that nose would hang up on painted cross walks!

[John]

Wasn't it a 3.5L Cosworth v8? Almost sounds like what an Indy car runs.

[Mesa]

The 14 is a beautiful car I agree, did Lola build it? Because the Lola of the same vintage looks almost exactly the same. There is a Mazda endurance racer of the same era that Mazda has been showing off lately that also looks very similar.

Besides getting high-centered on crosswalk paint lines...it looks a bit of a challenge to get in and out of. Might need to open it up just a bit.

[Freewheel]

The engine in the XJR-14 was indeed a Cosworth 3.5L V8, the XB?

The Lola T92/10 was a different design with obvious inspiration from the Jag. Like most Lolas, it could be used with a variety of engines but I believe the only ones that were sold were fitted with Judds. There's been a couple of them for sale in recent years. I understand that either Joest or Kremer were intending to run a pair until sponsorship fell through.

The Mazda (model number escapes me) was an updated XJR-14 run by TWR the year after Jaguar decided to pull out. The WSC was dying by then but it was still quite effective.

Later on, TWR cut the roof off (the aperture for driver entry/exit suggests it would have been stiff enough to cope) and with a Porsche engine, won Le Mans in 1995. Did it win in 1996 too?

For the RCR, I agree with Fran, the XJ220 might be a better option - dare I say it, more practical? A Turbo V6 would be reasonably straightforward to achieve, but the XJR 15 would allow a V12 and still be "in character".



If Fran's thinking of a front-engined chassis that can be adapted to many things, D-type to Breadvan mightn't be too much of a stretch.....

[Chris_K]

T92/10... Sexy! And yep, it ran as a Jag, Mazda and Porsche. Pretty flexible.

[Fran Hall RCR]

Gotta love Lolas....old and new...
That is a bitchin car.....aren't you supposed to be working Chris????..

[Troy]

The XJR-14 was powered by the 3.5ltr Cosworth HB V8.

Producing some 715HP, this motor was used initially by Benetton Formula One around 1989.

I believe there is one for sale on an F1 sales website for 60,000 pounds.

I'd slot it in the back of my RF, but I can't be bothered machining the adapter plate to suit!

Yeah right.

For those of you out there building Carbon Monos, here is some inspiration - The XJR14 in the nude!

[Fran Hall RCR]

Looks very sexy Nekkid......!!!

[Troy]

One more pic ...

And exactly where it should be - in front of a Porsche!

[Mesa]

The Mazda version as seen at the DP round at Laguna last year. The man at the display said ''It was rescued from the crusher in Japan at the last minute and brought to the US".

As far as the Daytona Prototype series is concerned - I was shocked, for being a "major-ish series" the place was a ghost town as far as spectators go. I bet there was not 5,000 people there (?)

[Freewheel]

The Mazda is a rebadged Jaguar, the Lola is neither.

Check out the radiator position/intakes, the roof profile, the air intake, the sidepod shapes etc.


I'm gonna stamp my feet and cry until you all agree!

[John]

That XJR-14 truly is a great looking car. I don't think i could ever fit in though... But, if you have money, you could probably power a replicas with an ex-IRL engine. I see some of those go for around 15K USD. But who knows what the true cost of ownership is... and then there's the whole alcohol fuel thing. But a 3.5L 700hp+ sounds like the perfect engine replacement.