On June 12, as several cars line up for the most famous endurance race on the planet, Jaguar will mark its return to the starting grid after 15 years.
The green liveried XKR GT2, numbered 81 and driven by Marc Goossens, Ryan Dalziel and Paul Gentilozzi will line up for the gruelling 24 hour race. It began its participation earlier this year at the American Le Mans racing circuit to gain valuable experience and track time for the big event in France.
Made from a lightweight aluminium body structure, the XKR GT2 will sport a tuned version of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that powers the roadgoing XKR coupe and cabriolet. Power is expected to be in excess of 500 bhp.
Jaguar has had a prolific history in Le Mans, winning as many as seven times from 1951 to 1990. Take a look below to get all the details of Jaguar's wins at the 24-hour endurance race.
| Year |
Model |
Race no |
Drivers |
Result |
Notes (distance and average speeds rounded off to nearest whole figure) |
| 1951 |
C-type |
20 |
Peter Walker, Peter Whitehead |
1st |
First Jaguar win; 2244 miles, 93 mph |
| 1953 |
C-type |
18 |
Tony Rolt, Duncan Hamilton |
1st |
Second Jaguar win; 2540 miles, 106 mph |
| 1955 |
D-type |
6 |
Mike Hawthorn, Ivor Bueb |
1st |
Third Jaguar win; 2570 miles, 107 mph |
| 1956 |
D-type |
4 |
Ron Flockhart, Ninian Sanderson |
1st |
Ecurie Ecosse entry; fourth Jaguar win; 2507 miles, 104 mph |
| 1957 |
D-type |
3 |
Ron Flockhart, Ivor Bueb |
1st |
Ecurie Ecosse entry; fifth Jaguar win; 2732 miles, 114 mph |
| 1988 |
XJR-9LM |
2 |
Jan Lammers, Johnny Dumfries, Andy Wallace |
1st |
TWR Jaguar Sport entry; sixth Jaguar win; 394 laps, 3313 miles, 138 mph |
| 1990 |
XJR-12 |
3 |
John Nielsen, Price Cobb, Martin Brundle |
1st |
TWR Jaguar Sport entry; seventh Jaguar win; 359 laps, 3034 miles, 127 mph |
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