Christophe D'Ansembourg driving a 1991, Jaguar XJR14 in the Group C race at the Silverstone Classic 2015.
The Jaguar XJR-14 was a sports-prototype racing car introduced for the 1991 World Sportscar Championship season. It was designed by Ross Brawn and John Piper, and was built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). The 1991 season marked the introduction of the FIA’s new, and controversial, Litre Formula which replaced the highly successful Group C category that had been used in the World Sportscar Championship since 1982. However, due to a small number of entries in the new litre formula heavily penalised Group C cars were allowed participate in the newly created C2 category for the 1991 season but Jaguar participated in the new formula. To comply with the new regulations Jaguar produced an all-new car, the XJR-14. It was designed by Ross Brawn and John Piper, and was built by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR). In the past, TWR's Jaguars had been designed under the direction of Tony Southgate, while Brawn worked with a large design staff (12 according to John Piper); a paradigm shift (albeit small) in its own right and reflective of Brawn's Formula One background. The abandonment of the Group C fuel consumption regulations meant a change in aerodynamic design philosophy. Coupled that with vastly different packaging requirements for a small, light, normally aspirated engine meant that concerns over drag became a secondary requirement to downforce. The new design, lower kerb weight of 750 kg (1,653 lb) and higher downforce levels meant that the XJR-14 was a lot faster in corners compared to the previous Group C front runners.
Size: 4687px × 3250px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1991, 2015, ansembourg, brawn, car, cars, christophe, circuit, classic, designers, driver, group, historic, jaguar, john, motorsport, piper, race, racing, ross, silverstone, tom, walkinshaw, xjr14
