One of the Rarest Jaguars Ever is Available For Sale

Expect to pay well over a half-million dollars for this 1-of-53-made supercar.

While Jaguar has a long and storied tradition of building great performance cars, the British automaker has only made two models that really classified as supercars: The XJR-15 and the XJ220. The XJ220 is the better-known of the two, having featured its own racing series in the United States. It was also sold in much greater numbers (275) than the XJR-15. Only 53 examples of the XJR-15 were produced from 1990 through 1992, making this car the rarest of the Jaguar supercars, and one of the company’s most-limited models ever built for road use.

Getting ahold of a Jaguar XLR-15 these days is nearly impossible, but if you have deep enough pockets, car number 44 is up for sale from DD Classics in Surrey, England.

The Jaguar XJR-15

If you aren’t familiar with Jaguar’s first supercar, here is a quick rundown.

The XJR-15 was developed by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, who was tasked with producing a road-going version of the popular Jaguar XJR-9 race car. The entire body and chassis of the XJR-15 are comprised of carbon fiber and Kevlar, making this the first-ever road car made completely of those lightweight materials. The popular McLaren F1 followed suit in 1992. As a result of using these high tech composites, the XJR-15 weighs just 2,315 pounds.

In addition to the unique body and chassis design, the Jaguar XJR-15 has a cockpit that is three inches wider than the XLR-9 race car. It’s elevated roofline offers a little over an inch-and-a-half of extra headroom. This road-going Jag still has the integrated race bucket seats, so while it was made for road use – it lacked the premium niceties that you get from other Jaguar road cars. It does, however, have built-in headsets for the driver and passenger to communicate in the carbon fiber-lined cockpit.

The key feature of the 1990-1992 Jaguar XJR-15 is the 6.0 liter V12 engine, delivering 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque. By today’s standards that doesn’t sound like much power, but keep in mind that this car only weighs 2,300lbs, so with a power-to-weight ratio of 5.144 pounds per horsepower, this car has a considerably better ratio than the 650 horsepower C7 Corvette Z06.

Incredible car with an incredible price

Unfortunately, DD Classics isn’t listing a price for the 1991 Jaguar XJR-15, but we know that one of the 53 supercars appeared at an Australian auction last year. The bidding for that car climbed up to the $540,000 mark, but the reserve as not met. With that in mind, anyone who is seriously planning to buy XJR-15 #44 in Mauritius Blue should be prepared to pay at least $600,000, if not more.

Source: Motor Authority

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com