Blog posts of '2023' 'December'

A question often asked of me is, "How many prototype V12 quad-cam engines were built by Jaguar and where are they now?" As I previously reported back in May 2010, the answer is SIX. Of this six, only three progressed beyond test-bed stage and were installed in cars. A seventh engine was assembled as a 60° V8 and run on Jaguar's test bed. The V12 block for this engine was converted into a V8 using a special crankshaft with throws for only eight of the twelve cylinders. There were plans to assemble an eighth engine but it never reached the test bed stage.

Summer is approaching and Building The Legend's recreation of Jaguar’s legendary 1966 XJ13 Le Mans Prototype is well underway. In 2010, UK-based Jaguar enthusiast Neville Swales unearthed the ONLY surviving complete engine built to a similar specification to the original quad-cam V12 prototype engine as first installed in the car in 1966.

Spent a very enjoyable and informative morning watching the first of my bellhousings being sand cast. Having decided to produce a limited run of "customer cars" built using the same tools, techniques and the same meticulous level of detail as the first car, I needed to have a batch of bellhousings made.