The JaguarSport XJR-15 has been called ‘the supercar that time forgot’, and only 52 of these raucous V12-engined sensations were ever built. In this personal history, Peter Stevens, the car’s designer, offers an entertaining and informative reminder of exactly what made it so special at its launch in 1990, and how this exceedingly rare car has found a new lease of life in the 21st century.
Published by Porter Press International, this is a detailed, often humorous account of how a master automotive designer helped Tom Walkinshaw to produce a road car that offered its lucky owners the chance to experience some of the sensations of the famous Le Mans-winning Group C Jaguars. Full of behind-the-scenes detail and anecdotes – from Stevens’s initial ideas to the humble origin of the final tail lights – it shows how this ground-breaking project produced the world’s first fully carbon-fibre road car.
Along the way, Stevens offers fascinating insights into his personal design history and philosophy, from the early influence of his famous uncle – Denis Jenkinson – to his years at Lotus working on the Excel, Elan and Esprit, and the amazing period during which he designed the XJR-15 and the McLaren F1.
He also looks back on his long relationship with Tom Walkinshaw, who took Jaguar back to its rightful place at the pinnacle of international sports car racing during the 1980s and early 1990s, and covers that fondly remembered era in great detail. There’s a full account, too, of the million-dollar XJR-15 Intercontinental Challenge race series that featured famous drivers such as Derek Warwick and David Brabham, and wowed spectators at Monaco, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps during 1991.
Limited to 400 copies, all of which will be signed by Peter Stevens, JaguarSport XJR-15: A Personal History of the Design and development of the legendary supercar features more than 270 colour photographs and illustrations, plus contemporary sketches, press releases, newspaper articles, magazine stories and internal documents. It’s a long-overdue appraisal of one of the most spectacular road cars ever built.
About The Author
Peter Stevens is one of the world’s best-known and most sought-after automotive designers and consultants. As a professional committed to design education, he lectures internationally and, until recently, was Visiting Professor at London’s Royal College of Art. He is renowned not only as the designer of the JaguarSport XJR-15, but also the acclaimed McLaren F1 road car, which remains extraordinarily influential.
He has also worked with Subaru on Championship-winning rally cars, Mahindra on rural utility vehicles, and MG Rover on cars including the carbon fibre-bodied MG SV. He has worked for Formula 1 teams, with BMW on the Le Mans-winning 99LM, and with Lotus on their Excel, Esprit and Elan. He claims to still be as competitive as ever, driving his 1932 Ford hot-rod in numerous beach races. He was recently awarded the President’s Trophy by The Guild of Motoring Writers for, among other things, ‘Never feeling inhibited in what he says about design.’
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