Car Stories & Workshop Journal

How Engines Really Burn Fuel — tera V12 Learnings, Part 1

tera V12 Learnings · Part 1 While we develop our tera quad-cam V12 here in Royal Leamington Spa, close to Coventry, I've picked up a few things that every enthusiast deserves to know. Part 1: what "burning fuel" actually

2 of 7 - Southgate's Silhouette: building the XJR-6

Chapter II · 1985 Tom Walkinshaw Racing had won touring-car championships for Jaguar. Now the company asked it to build a Group C car from carbon fibre — in under two years. The XJR-6 was a Tony Southgate creation: a car

3 of 7 - Debut at Mosport: the XJR-6 meets the world, August 1985

Chapter III · 11 August 1985 Round 6 of the 1985 World Championship, a bumpy Canadian circuit near Oshawa, and two dark Jaguars that nobody had raced before. The XJR-6's world début came at the Budweiser 1000 km at

4 of 7 - Silk Cut and first blood: Silverstone, 5 May 1986

Chapter IV · Spring 1986 A new sponsor arrived with an unprintable name and an unforgettable livery. By May, Jaguar had beaten Porsche to a World Championship win. Where Rothmans plastered its name across Porsche, Jaguar

5 of 7 - La Sarthe: twenty-three hours, and "we will be back"

Chapter V · June 1986 Jaguar came to Le Mans 1986 with three cars, an experimental tail, and a fuel-rig's chance of history. For twenty-three hours it had both. The preparation began in practice. On 9 May the team ran it

6 of 7 - The long run-in: Jerez, Spa and the Nürburgring consolation

Chapter VI · Summer to October 1986 A championship that swung on gravel, tyre treads and a first-corner collision. Germany's Norisring street sprint put all three XJR-6s on the grid third, sixth and eighth as the pace ca

7 of 7 - We will be back

Epilogue They said it on a banner at Le Mans. The standings say how close it really was. "British fans carry away the defiant message left by the TWR team when the last XJR-6 retired. Le Mans, 1986." (Courtesy: Carl Will

1 of 7 — "The Missing Link: the XJR-5 and the road back to Le Mans"

Chapter I · Origins Every championship-winning Jaguar of the late 1980s traces back to an unlikely place: an American IMSA paddock, and a car built around a road-car engine. By the early 1980s Jaguar's competition depart

Broadspeed’s XJ12 Coupé — The Fastest Car That Never Won

If you read my piece about Bob Tullius and Group 44, you’ll know I have a soft spot for the Jaguar V12’s racing adventures. Here’s one from the other side of the pond – and it’s the perfect companion story, because it wa

Group 44's V12 E-type — How Jaguar Went Racing Again

In March this year, motor sport lost one of its great characters. Bob Tullius – founder of Group 44, scourge of the Corvettes and the man who put Jaguar back on the winners’ rostrum in America – died peacefully at his ho

TWR’s XJ-S V12 — The Wolf That Finally Won

If you read my piece about Broadspeed’s XJ12 Coupé — the fastest car that never won — you’ll remember the kindest verdict anyone passed on it: a snoozing Labrador that could show a remarkable turn of speed if only it cou

Jaguar Camshafts — Which Cam, What Gap?

Camshafts have a reputation for being mysterious. They aren't — especially on a Jaguar straight-six or SOHC V12, where a little knowledge goes a very long way. Our thanks to fellow Jaguar hand Dick Maury, whose notes on

The West Yorkshire Foundry — Britain's Lost Casting Story

Prototype V12 casting marks. Whilst researching the people, places and events in the story of the one-and-only XJ13, I came across the relatively unknown story of the West Yorkshire Foundry. Who are they ... do I hear yo

Electric windows for your classic

Let us upgrade your classic to electric windows - we can convert pretty much any car.

New Custom Conrods for the tera V12

British-made, lighter and stronger than the Jaguar originals. Give us the capability of playing around with different compression ratios to suit differing power outputs and varying fuel quality in different markets. &nbs

The man who brewed up Jaguar’s lost V12

Photos: Building The Legend With eyes set firmly on yet another Le Mans prize, Jaguar spent the early 1960s working on a mid-engined sports car. The engine: a new, double-overhead-cam V12. Sadly, it would never see a sta

The Ride of Your Life — Driving Our tera V12 E-Type

Henry Ford once said, that auto racing begins minutes after the second car is built. Nowhere is this more the case, than sitting behind the wheel of Building The Legend’s latest E-Type Jaguar. When I first

Turning Dreams into Reality — Concept to Completion

From Concept to Completion   Copyright Wray Schelin www.proshaper.com Automobile design is going through a revolution right now. Design tools powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) complementing designer’s ski

The "Wingfield/Walter Hill" XJ13

Good to see this car has resurfaced once again. JD Classics Following a protracted legal case, JD Classics went into administration in September 2018. Thereafter followed a torrent of further litigation. Mr Hood faced&nb

The Jaguar V12 – Part Three - Evolution

In Part Two we looked at the development of the quad-cam V12 – we now look at how this evolved into the first single cam V12 engine. Much has already been published elsewhere – not least of all by renowned authors S

The Jaguar V12 – Part Two - Development

In Part 1 we looked at the origins of the V12 – in Part 2 we look at the development of the V12 in a little more detail. Before the V12, Jaguar’s racing and practically all road cars were powered by the powerfu

The Experimental Jaguar Mk10s

(The following findings are very much a “work in progress” and work is continuing in trying to fill the gaps – all contributions gratefully received!) The Mk10 Jaguar was introduced in 1961 as a replacement for the MkIX

The Jaguar V12 - Part One - Origins

For 25 years, between 1971 and 1996, Jaguar’s smooth and  refined V12 power unit powered the Series 3 E-Type as well as a range of luxury saloons. Right from the outset the engine was designed with enormous tuning p

How Many XJ13 Quad-Cam V12s Were Built? Where Are They?

"How many prototype V12 quad-cam engines were built by Jaguar and where are they now?" As I previously reported back in May 2010, the answer is  SIX . Of this six, only three progressed beyond test-bed stage and wer

Looking Back — Building Our XJ13 Re-Creation

Introduction Summer was approaching and Building The Legend's recreation of Jaguar’s legendary 1966 XJ13 Le Mans Prototype was well underway. In 2010, UK-based Jaguar enthusiast Neville Swales unearthed the ONLY survivin

Sand-Casting Bellhousings for the tera V12

Spent a very enjoyable and informative morning watching the first of my bellhousings being sand cast. Having decided to produce a limited run of "customer cars" built using the same tools, techniques and the same meticul

XJ13 Re-Creation — Choosing the Monocoque Materials

As the build of my first XJ13 monocoque/chassis progressed, I wanted to consider the materials that should be used for construction of the component parts of my re-creations. Jaguar themselves went through a si

XJ13 - Monocoque Build Detail

The XJ13 was, for its time, quite an advanced piece of design. In 1964 Jaguar began to lay down the foundations of their prototype - at this stage, their sights were set on the 1965 24 hours of Le Mans and initial progre

Building the XJ13 Chassis and Monocoque

Background Looking back at building up the chassis/monocoque of my recreation of the 1966 Jaguar XJ13 - a "snapshot" of the car as it was in 1966 before it was crashed and modified. Almost 18 months of painstaking a

Recreating the post-crash 1973 Jaguar XJ13

  Zeit·geist … is a German word. Zeit meaning “time” and Geist meaning “ghost,” Zeitgeist means the spirit of the age or times.   The 1966 Jaguar XJ13 is no more Its spirit and identity live on in a Jaguar-buil

Designing the XJ13

On the 3rd June 1965 an internal "Instruction to Proceed (XJ13 Car)" was issued by Jaguar’s Bob Knight – it started, “Build one prototype competiton car …”. Responsibilities for all aspects of the car’s design were alloc

Recreating a 20th-Century Car with 21st-Century Technology

My intention was to create a facsimile of Jaguar's unique XJ13 - as it was in 1966/67 and before it was rebuilt in 1972/73. It had to be rebuilt after it was badly damaged on the eve of its first public appearance in 197

The Gathering — the XJ13 Team Reunited

Looking back to 2015 50 years (almost to the month) after similar events took place in Jaguar's Competition Department, work was continuing apace on my exact recreation of Jaguar's 1966 XJ13 Le Mans Prototype. GT40s

XJ13 - The Only One

"There’s only one company who recreate the Jaguar XJ13 as it first saw the light of day in 1966 in the world and you’re on their website!" Built as a potential Le Mans contender, it never competed in any race.  

Bob Blake - "An Artist in Metal"

As my quest to recreate an exact copy of the 1966 XJ13 continued, I came across the story of the man largely responsible for making the original body -  Bob Blake . What follows is the story of a man able to transla

We Need Some Rivets — Building the XJ13

STOP PRESS .... Since posting this article I have discovered a source of original and genuine Avdel Rivets - as used by Jaguar in 1965 when building the XJ13. They aren't made anymore and are damn expensive (just over £1

Recreating the XJ13 – Old Technology meets New

Where did Jaguar source components in period?  Although Jaguar were able to raid their “parts bin” for some components of their XJ13 Le Mans Prototype, most of the car’s major items were custom-made. “Off-the-Shelf”

David Hobbs — the XJ13's Test Driver

Hang on - I thought the late Norman Dewis was the XJ13's test driver? Noooo .... a common misconception but, in truth, the legendary Mr Dewis did not participate in all the tests. Contrary to popular belief and what

Building a XJ13 - Looking back to January 2015

The year was 2015  and my first car was approaching its "rolling chassis" stage - mirroring events of 50 years earlier in Jaguar's Competition Department. It was then 1965 and William Heynes, Jaguar's Engi

Jaguar XJ13 - Malcolm Sayer's Crowning Glory

"Sayer uniquely blended science and art to produce timeless shapes of exceptional and enduring beauty. He brought science to the art of car design; and scientifically produced works of art.” 21st May 2016  marked th

XJ13 and E-Type Convoy to the Monaco Yacht Show

Our XJ13 & E-Type Resto-Mod in convoy on way to Monaco Yacht Show. Loved the sound of our tera V12s in those tunnels!

Salon Prive 2022 - Blenheim Palace UK

Born to Race — the XJ13, As It Was Meant to Be

tera® Quad-Cam V12 - a bit of background

While we prepare our next batch of tera® Quad-Cam V12 engines, I thought you may be interested in a little background to the project ... Before the V12, Jaguar’s racing and practically all road cars were powered by the p

Lucky Number 13 — the XJ13's First Outing

Photo © Octane Magazine The following extract is reproduced courtesy of Octane Magazine. It describes the first outing of our Building The Legend re-ceation inspired by the one-and-only 1966 Jaguar XJ13. A car which insp

Original 1966 XJ13 Windscreen - Triplex

Original 1966 XJ13 Windscreen Whilst sourcing parts for the rebuild of the 1966 car, I came across a reference to the use of an "original XJ13 windscreen" which prompted me to contact Pilkingtons on the off-chance the or

Ford vs Ferrari … vs Jaguar — Le Mans 1966

Could the Jaguar XJ13 have beaten the GT40s? In my opinion? Yes. Let me explain ... How did the competition look? When I scan through reports, analyses and tests, Jaguar clearly had two cars in its sights - Ferrari's 330

Introducing the tera©

Figure 1 Building the Legend’s tera®. © Neville Swales Is the 12-cylinder dead? I ask myself, " Is the 12-cylinder engine dead? " I was about to introduce the tera®, Building The Legend Limited’s own unique quad-cam V12

Recreating XJ13 toolroom copy - Part 1

2014 – summer is approaching and a recreation of Jaguar’s legendary 1966 XJ13 Le Mans Prototype is well underway. In 2010, UK-based Jaguar enthusiast Neville Swales unearthed the ONLY surviving complete engine built to a