The three Jaguar XJ220-Cs from Le Mans 1993 reunited at the Silverstone Classic 2017

TEXTJune 27, 2017 · 3 min

Balz Schreier, automatically translated

PHOTOS

Martin Lee (flickr KartingNord) · 15 Photos

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) on the Suzuka circuit - The #52 Jaguar XJ220C of Paul Belmondo/Jay Cochran/Andreas Fuchs

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Paul Belmondo/Jay Cochran/Andreas Fuchs in the #52 XJ220C at Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220 Prototype (1988) - The original road-going version of the XJ220, based on the XJ220C race car, with designer Keith Helfet (right)

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - The pit lane garages of the three Jaguars at Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - The Jaguar XJ220-C is brought to the starting position at Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - The #50 XJ220C of John Nielsen/David Brabham/David Coulthard

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Brabham, Coulthard and Nielson at Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - The #50 XJ220C as it looks today, driven by John Nielsen/David Brabham/David Coulthard at Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - John Nielsen/David Brabham/David Coulthard in the #50 XJ220C at Le Mans 1993

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Porsche 911 Carrera RSR (1993) - Jürgen Barth in the Porsche 911 actually finished second in the GT class at Le Mans 1993, but due to the subsequent disqualification of Jaguar, he took the class win

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Jaguar XJ220 Prototype (1988) - Die ursprüngliche Strassenversion XJ220 vom Rennwagen XJ220C mit Designer Keith Helfet (rechts)

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Die Boxengassen-Garagen der drei Jaguar in Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Die Jaguar XJ220-C werden zur Startposition in Le Mans 1993 gebracht

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Der #50 XJ220C von John Nielsen/David Brabham/David Coulthard

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Brabham, Coulthard und Nielson in Le Mans 1993

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Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Der #50 XJ220C, wie er heute aussieht, damals gefahren von John Nielsen/David Brabham/David Coulthard in Le Mans 1993

The celebrations for the 25th anniversary of the Jaguar XJ220 road-going sports car at the Silverstone Classic, which will take place from July 28-30, are about to get even better! On the Saturday of the event weekend, all three race cars that competed for Team TWR Jaguar Racing in the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans will join the road-going versions for demo laps.

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Brabham, Coulthard and Nielson at Le Mans 1993

For this special occasion, all three cars have been restored to their original racing livery. It is the first time since the 1993 race that these three racing icons have been seen together again.

From the road to the race track

The XJ220-C competition version of the remarkable mid-engined two-seater XJ220 was launched just a few months after the first deliveries of the XJ220 in June 1992. A year later, the Jaguar works team (TWR Jaguar Racing) took three race cars to Le Mans to compete in the increasingly important GT class. A victory would ultimately also boost sales of the road-going version.

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - The pit lane garages of the three Jaguars at Le Mans 1993

Famous names for Jaguar at the start of Le Mans 1993

The number #50 was driven by John Nielsen, David Brabham and David Coulthard.

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - John Nielsen/David Brabham/David Coulthard in the #50 XJ220C at Le Mans 1993

German Armin Hahne, Win Percy and David Leslie drove the #51 Jaguar. The third XJ220-C, number #52, was driven by Paul Belmondo, Jay Cochran and the German Andreas Fuchs.

Jaguar XJ220C (1993) - Paul Belmondo/Jay Cochran/Andreas Fuchs in the #52 XJ220C at Le Mans 1993

The #51 and #52 cars had to retire early from the race due to engine problems, but the #50 car was able to finish the 24-hour race with an impressive tenth place overall and first place in the GT class! For Jaguar, the goal had been achieved and the marketing and sales campaigns could be launched as planned.

GT winner and then not

One month after the victory in Le Mans, a surprising announcement came from the Sarthe: the victory of the #50 car was disallowed and it was disqualified from the race completely! The reason for this was the lack of catalytic converters compared to the road model. Jaguar tried to appeal the decision, but the French authorities stood by the correction. The new winner in the GT class was therefore Jürgen Barth in a Porsche 911.

Porsche 911 Carrera RSR (1993) - Jürgen Barth in the Porsche 911 actually finished second in the GT class at Le Mans 1993, but due to the subsequent disqualification of Jaguar, he took the class win

XJ220 parade at the Silverstone Classic 2017

The XJ220 parade will see the #50 race car lead the way, flanked by #51 and #52, followed by a record number of road XJ220s! You can already look forward to these photos!

Jaguar XJ220 Prototype (1988) - The original road-going version of the XJ220, based on the XJ220C race car, with designer Keith Helfet (right)

The #50 Jaguar is now owned by the renowned car dealer JD Classics from England, while the other two were only recently restored to their original condition by the specialist "Don Law Racing". Number #51 is making the long journey from Japan especially to celebrate.

More information about the Silverstone Classic can be found on their official website.