Presented by RM Sotheby’s – Tom Walkinshaw Racing prepared a team of three factory-supported Jaguar XJ220 Cs for the 1993 Le Mans 24-hour race, which won the race for Jaguar in 1988 and 1990 with their mighty XJR-9LM and XJR-12 chassis, respectively had . From the beginning, TWR was involved through its joint venture JaguarSport Ltd. involved with Jaguar on the XJ220 project and had thorough knowledge of the XJ220’s 3.5 liter V-6 engine previously used in the team’s XJR-10 and XJR-11.
Four chassis were diverted to TWR from the XJ220 production line – chassis numbers 220836, 220837, 220838 and 220839 – the first three of which were nominated as racing cars and the fourth as a replacement vehicle. For internal purposes, the racing cars were assigned abbreviated serial numbers of 001, 002 and 003 respectively by TWR.
After international sports car racing took a break due to the fall of the World Sports Car Championship last year, Le Mans was held as a non-championship race in 1993, with a combination of Group C vehicles from earlier generations being possible. 3.5 liter naturally aspirated FIA WSC cars, IMSA WSC cars and near-series GT cars.
This particular car, chassis 220838 (serial number 003), was to be driven by veteran IMSA racing driver Jay Cochran, Formula 1 driver Paul Belmondo and aspiring GT racing driver Andreas Fuchs, while 001 was to be driven by Armin Hahne, Win Percy and David was to be driven by Leslie with 002 from former Le Mans winner John Nielsen and Grand Prix drivers David Brabham and David Coulthard. Although 003 was not completed on time, 001 and 002 showed an encouraging pace on the test day in Le Mans in May and took second and third place in the GT class behind Hans Stuck’s works Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Less than a month later, qualifying for the race itself showed that the performance of the XJ220 C on the test day was no accident: 002 again took second place in the GT class for the stalled Porsche. With 003 and 001 as the third and fourth fastest GT qualification, TWR entered the race with real optimism.
Unfortunately, after six laps of the race, 001 suffered a catastrophic failure of the cylinder head gasket, which sidelined the car within 30 minutes of the start. Meanwhile, after just two hours, Stuck’s Porsche developed a sticky throttle that took five laps to repair and pushed 002 and 003 to positions 1 and 2 at nightfall. TWR’s eventful race continued, with Nielsen / Brabham / Coulthard’s car giving up the class lead on 003 to fix a serious fuel leak, while Fuchs later suffered a high-speed tire damage on the Mulsanne Straight in 003 that took him 360 degrees turned degrees, albeit graciously, without hitting anything. Despite the cautious limping into the pit lane, the cooling system was finally damaged by the air leak and the 003 crew had to give up after 176 laps.
Serial number 002 would bravely recover from its unplanned pit stop to regain the lead in the GT class and finish on a good 15th overall and 1st, resulting in disqualification.
Number 003 returned to Le Mans in 1995 as part of a two-car team from the private PC Automotive team, although it was clear from the start that the GT racing landscape was very different from 1993. They were ranked against the XJ220 C in the GT1 class seven new McLaren F1 GTRs, three Ferrari F40 LM / GTE variants and three Porsche 911 RSRs – not to mention various Venturis, Nissan GTR-LMs and a Lister Storm. Qualifying confirmed the team’s suspicions: although it had improved the best lap time of 003 in 1993 by almost two seconds, in two years it dropped from third in qualifying in the class to 14th. Heavy rain fell for much of the race, which played to McLaren’s strengths. After he had fought throughout the race – and had driven up to 4th place in the class – in 003, after 135 laps, he again succumbed to an engine failure.
The serial number 003 eventually went into the collection of an active member of the Jaguar Car Club of Japan. Unfortunately the car was involved in an accident while it was in possession and was damaged in the front right. It was then sent to Don Law Racing’s renowned XJ220 specialists in the UK to be fully repaired for nearly £ 200,000 and restored to its 1993 Le Mans livery. Acquired by Mr. Guikas in February 2020, this represents a rare opportunity to acquire a true factory Jaguar – and two-time Le Mans competitor – from the golden years of GT racing that has been used in a variety of racing series around the world Globus is very suitable, including Endurance Racing Legends, Master Endurance Legends and Le Mans Classic. The vehicle is delivered with the ACO acceptance forms.
Much rarer than an F40 LM, this is a fantastic opportunity for the next owner to hit the track with a masterpiece.
RM Sotheby’s presents this vehicle as part of a single-owner collection, consisting of 75 of the best racing and street cars in the world, which are offered without reservation. The Guikas Collection, which will be sold at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France in November 2021, showcases pedigrees from the endurance races of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to the world stage of Formula 1 and almost everything in between. The collection of racing cars offers modern racing enthusiasts an introduction to practically all classic car racing series worldwide, including equally impressive GT and road vehicles, which offer a large selection of sports cars from the pre- and post-war era.
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