2017-10-06 05:32:10 | Pekka T. writes:

For sale by Duncan Hamilton ROFGO, who claims it to be car "number one": www.classicdriver.com/en/car/jaguar/xj12/1976/486190



Year of manufacture
1976
Car type
Other

Drive
RHD
Condition
Used
Number of seats
2

Location
Exterior colour
Other
Drivetrain
2wd
Fuel type
Petrol

Description

This historically important Jaguar is one of only four factory-backed XJ12C Broadspeed race cars ever produced. In March 1976 Leyland Cars announced that the Jaguar marque would return to the world of international motor racing with its plans to contest the European Touring Car Championship with the 5.3 litre V12 XJ12C Coupe. The drivers were to be Derek Bell/David Hobbs and Andy Rouse/Steve Thompson. The cars were to be built under contract by Broadspeed Engineering Ltd, the ace tuning and engineering company founded by Ralph Broad, which had previously achieved success campaigning Minis and Ford Capris across Europe. The resultant machine was both fabulously powerful and formidably quick - the car thundering to pole position first time out at the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone. However, and despite the best efforts of drivers and engineers alike, the cars were plagued by misfortune and unreliability, much of it relating to the Jaguar factory insisting on standard road parts being used in places.

Despite the 1976 season ending in disappointment, for 1977 two new lightweight coupes were built for Derek Bell and Andy Rouse, John Fitzpatrick and Tim Schenken. Again, the car was monstrously fast over one lap (Poles at Monza, Salzburgring, Brno, Nurburgring and again at the Silverstone TT). Frustratingly, they could not overcome the reliability problems that stemmed from under-investment and 1977 was a repeat of the previous year's disappointment. With further funding cuts on the horizon, British Leyland discontinued their support after just two seasons racing and so ended the brief but colourful era of the Broadspeed XJ12C.

Chassis number 1 was the one and only car for the 1976 season and participated in the late-season Tourist Trophy at Silverstone driven by Derek Bell and David Hobbs. As so often with the XJ12C, it achieved pole position for the TT. For 1977, the car was used for all the publicity and development for the next season and following the ending of the racing programme, chassis 1 was used for display in the Coventry Transport Museum. Since then, the car has been completely re-commissioned to race winning condition, with huge amounts of time and money being spent on both speed and reliability. It is in fact the only Broadpseed Coupe to have won race, albeit in the 'modern-historic' era.

A unique opportunity to purchase a part of British motor racing history, and own a car that will be an outright winner in Motor Racing Legends HTCC or Patrick Peter's HTCC. The car has current FIA papers.