One of the attractions for the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, in celebration of the event’s centenary, is a public auction, organised by RM Sothebys, of some very significant cars from the storied history of Le Mans, the auction itself will take place on the track on Friday 9 June.
The auction is billed as ” the most significant sale of sports competition cars ever offered” and will feature 24 sports racing cars all of which will boast significant race history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The cars will be on display in the ‘Village’ with viewing open to the public.
Here’s another of the cars set to feature:
1993 Jaguar XJ220C – 002
One of the most controversial decisions of the (relatively) modern era at Le Mans came in 1993 with Tom Walkinshaw Racing entering a trio of works-created Jaguar XJ220 Cs, the first Jags to enter since the Group C era.
The Jaguar’s opposition in the GT category, which would later morph into GT1, were Porsche Carrera RSRs and Venturi 500LMs in the GT category.
The roadgoing XJ220 was a stunner, but was not without its own controversy. First unveiled at the 1988 British Motor Show, the show concept was powered by a 6.2 litre V12 and featured four-wheel drive.
The production car though emerged with rear-wheel drive only and power from a somewhat less sonorous 3.5-litre twin turbo V6.
Counting against the back story of such a significant change in spec though was the fact that for just a few months the XJ220 was the fastest production car in the world – 0-100 km/h in under 4 seconds and a top speed of 343 km/h!
The race-prepared machines differed considerably from their roadgoing counterparts being some 400 kilograms lighter. Each was fitted with fully detachable composite nose, tail, and body panels, which could quickly be removed for access to the car’s mechanical systems.
The interior was a stripped-out affair that made extensive use of carbon fibre and was furnished only with a Kevlar racing seat, while the twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V-6 was uprated to reportedly produce as much as 850 horsepower, although restricted under ACO regulations.
Each car was prepared to FIA/IMSA Le Mans specification, initially enabling the model to be campaigned on both sides of the Atlantic.
A comfortable GT victory marked the model’s race debut at Silverstone on 9 May 1993, but its greatest challenge would come at Le Mans where, after qualifying strongly, a team of three XJ220 Cs took to the grid. Chassis 002, the example offered here, would be driven by David Brabham, John Nielsen, and future Formula 1 ace David Coulthard, contesting his first and only Le Mans race. But long before the starter flag dropped, drama began to unfold.
While testing, ACO officials raised concerns about the legality of the XJ220 C’s exhaust, which was a free-flowing arrangement with no catalytic converters—unlike that of the road car. Though correct for the IMSA category regulations the XJ220Cs were entered under, no rival machines in the GT category ran catalytic converters, the argument rumbled on before the Jaguars were reluctantly allowed to take the start under appeal.
TWR’s challenge began to falter almost immediately, the sister car of Win Percy, Armin Hahne and David Leslie suffered catastrophic head gasket failure after just six laps.
But other fancied runners hit trouble too, Hans-Joachim Stuck’s leading and Works-entered Porsche 911 Turbo S LM suffered an early throttle problem, tumbling down the standings while it was repaired. In an effort to get back into contention, Walter Röhrl pushed too hard, striking a back marker and forcing his own retirement.
The Jaguars then were back to the class lead until the early hours of Sunday morning, when a fuel leak in chassis 002 forced Brabham into the pits for running repairs.
Andreas Fuchs continued the charge in chassis 003 until lap 176, when a tyre blow-out threw his car into the gravel trap, enabling Brabham to work back through the field to cross the finish line in 15th overall finish and 1st in class.
Celebrations though would prove short lived. A month after their famous victory, the three Jaguars were disqualified on a second technicality: their appeal, which the FIA had supported and upheld, had apparently not been lodged in time. The win went to – checks notes – A French-entered Porsche!
Following its historic outing at Le Mans, chassis 002 returned to Tom Walkinshaw Racing before being sold to Brunei.
It returned to the United Kingdom in 1999, remaining in a significant private collection before being acquired by the current owner in early-2018. The Jaguar has participated in numerous demonstration events, including the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2000 and 2011.
Studio pics copyright Rupert Cobb and courtesy RM Sothebys
Historic pics copyright Girardo Archove and courtesy RM Sothebys
