Description:

One of a limited number (16) of race-going XJR-15s built to compete in the JaguarSport Intercontinental Challenge and the only one known with a more powerfull engine ! 7 Liters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfdPugqYg6w

• The first practice session was held in damp conditions and Warwick soon set the benchmark time, before coming back into the pits to see if anyone else could get near it. As the track dried out, Armin Hahne went quicker, so Warwick leapt back into his XJR-15. With time for only a single flying lap, he reclaimed pole position in 1 minute 47.8 seconds—a full 1.6 seconds clear of Hahne.

• The Only one !

  The Jaguar XJR-15, chassis 020, holds a fascinating place in motorsport history, particularly within the context of the 1991 Jaguar Intercontinental Challenge—a three-race series supporting Formula 1 Grands Prix at Monaco, Silverstone, and Spa-Francorchamps.

  This single-make series was designed to showcase the XJR-15, a road-legal supercar born from the Le Mans-winning XJR-9, and was orchestrated by Tom Walkinshaw, the mastermind behind Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) and a key figure in Jaguar’s motorsport endeavors.

  In 1991, Walkinshaw was simultaneously managing two significant programs. He was leading TWR’s efforts in the JaguarSport Intercontinental Challenge with the XJR-15 while also overseeing Jaguar’s official factory team in the World Sportscar Championship (WSC), where the XJR-14 was competing for the title.

  This dual role placed Walkinshaw in a unique position of influence and pressure. The WSC effort was a high-stakes endeavor, with Jaguar clinching the Teams’ Championship in 1991, thanks to the XJR-14’s dominance under drivers like Derek Warwick and Martin Brundle.

   Meanwhile, the Intercontinental Challenge was a promotional spectacle, featuring a grid of XJR-15s driven by a mix of professional racers and wealthy owners, with a tantalizing $1 million prize awaiting the winner of the final race at Spa.

  Derek Warwick, an official Jaguar factory driver in the WSC, was tapped to race chassis 020 in the Intercontinental Challenge. Warwick was no stranger to Walkinshaw’s winning ethos, having driven for TWR in endurance racing and contributed to Jaguar’s successes, including Le Mans victories in 1988 and 1990. In the Challenge, Warwick’s participation carried extra weight.

   Walkinshaw, known for his relentless drive to win and his strategic cunning, could not afford to let his factory driver—and by extension, his own reputation—be overshadowed by an outsider or a lesser-known competitor in what was essentially a TWR showcase event.

  This brings us to the intriguing claim about chassis 020’s engine. The standard XJR-15 was powered by a 6.0-liter V12, producing around 450 horsepower—an already potent setup derived from the XJR-9’s racing lineage. However, some sources (Don Law Racing ) suggest that chassis 020, Warwick’s car, was fitted with a larger 7.0-liter V12, a variant used in certain XJR race cars like the XJR-9 and XJR-12.

   This upgrade,  would have given Warwick a significant power advantage over the rest of the field, aligning with Walkinshaw’s reputation for exploiting every possible edge to secure victory. Walkinshaw’s history—whether bending rules in touring cars or optimizing cars to the limit in endurance racing—lends credence to the idea that he might have sanctioned such a modification for his star driver.

  The Monaco race, the opening round of the Challenge, offers a compelling snapshot. In qualifying, Warwick posted a pole position time of 1 minute 47.8 seconds, a staggering 1.6 seconds faster than Armin Hahne, the second-placed driver. Monaco’s tight, twisty circuit is notoriously difficult, and achieving such a gap in a single-make series—where cars are theoretically identical—raises eyebrows. A single flying lap yielding such a margin suggests either extraordinary skill, an unusually favorable setup, or, as speculated, a mechanical advantage like a 7.0-liter engine.

  Warwick went on to win the race, edging out David Brabham by just seven-tenths of a second after 16 laps, proving his pace wasn’t a fluke but also showing the field could close in during race conditions.

  Walkinshaw’s insistence on victory wasn’t just about pride; it was about control and image. The Intercontinental Challenge was a high-profile stage to promote the XJR-15 to wealthy buyers, and a loss by his factory driver to a “nobody” risked undermining TWR’s credibility.

  A 7.0-liter engine, while not officially confirmed in all documentation, fits the narrative of Walkinshaw’s win-at-all-costs mentality. Some XJR-15s, particularly the five “LM” (Le Mans) variants, are known to have had 7.0-liter engines, and ithat chassis 020 a Works TWR car—received similar treatment.

  Confirmed by the mesure taken by the Belgium mechanic, the stroke of the engine is 92 instead of 78 mm. which delivery 7000 cc engine.

  Warwick was a seasoned pro, adept at extracting the maximum from any car, and Monaco rewards precision. Yet the 1.6-second gap in qualifying, achieved in one lap, strains belief in a series where parity was the goal. Walkinshaw’s track record of pushing boundaries—whether through tire deals, aerodynamic tweaks, or outright rule-bending—suggests he’d ensure Warwick had every tool to dominate.

  In the end, Warwick won at Monaco.

  Chassis 020 did have a 7.0-liter heart, it wasn’t enough to guarantee a clean sweep of 3 victories, but it underscores Walkinshaw’s approach: stack the deck, win big, and leave no room for embarrassment.

  The legend of chassis 020, with its rumored engine upgrade, remains a testament to his audacity and the lengths he’d go to protect his legacy.

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