1988 Jaguar XJR-9 LM - 1988 Le Mans

• 1988 Le Mans 24hr
• IMSA race-winner
• Daytona 24hr podium

Chassis TWR-J12C-188 was the first pure XJR-9 built by TWR Jaguar for the 1988 season.

Initially it went to IMSA, wearing Castrol colours as a factory Jaguar entry, scoring an overall podium first time out at the Daytona 24hr (drivers: Cheever, Watson, Dumfries).

In May 1988 chassis 188 was returned to the UK to be prepared for Le Mans, as part of the monumental five-car factory effort at the legendary 24hr race, running as race number 21. With an all-American driver lineup (Sullivan, Jones, Cobb), and 7-litres of V12, it was one of three Silk Cut XJR-9s to finish the race and was part of the hugely iconic trio of Jaguars in the photo finish - the number 2 winning overall, giving Jaguar its Le Mans win since 1957.

Back to America a month later to continue its IMSA campaign, it soon took pole and an overall race win in the Del Mar 2hrs (with ‘88 Daytona and World Sports Car Championship winner Martin Brundle and ‘88 Le Mans winner Jan Lammers driving)

It would go onto compete at Daytona again in 1989, with a DNF

The XJR-9 LM of the all-time greatest Le Mans models, not only for its winning history, but because of its mesmerising engine note, the team that built it, and the livery. All of this in an era when cars were hitting 250mph down the Mulsanne Straight.

The 12-cylinder Le Mans-winning Club is also something special: Ferraris 375 Plus, 250TR, 250LM, 275P, Porsche 917, Matra MS670, Jaguar XJR-9 and 12, McLaren F1 GTR, BMW V12 LMR.

The Jaguar factory own the 1988 winner, we sold the 22 car and it’ll not be for sale for decades, so the 21 car is the only race finisher from the legendary 1988 Le Mans winning year that will come to market. A truly unique opportunity.

Today the car is properly race-prepared and was an overall winner at the 2022 Le Mans Classic. It comes complete with spare front & rear body, 3x sets of new one-piece cast magnesium wheels, 1x set three-piece BBS wheels, high & low downforce rear wings, and other small running spares. The 7-litre V12 engine was rebuilt by Init Racing in the UK.