JaguarSport XJR-15

The sensational V12-engined JaguarSport XJR-15 has been called ‘the supercar that time forgot’. In this personal history, Peter Stevens, the car’s designer, offers an entertaining and insightful reminder of exactly what made it so special at its launch in 1990, and why this exceedingly rare car has become one of the world’s most sought-after classics.

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, it shows how this ground-breaking project produced the world’s first fully carbon-fibre road car.

Limited to 400 copies, all of which will be signed by Peter Stevens, JaguarSport XJR-15: A Personal History of the Legendary Supercar tells the full story of this remarkable project – from the early days of TWR and the Intercontinental Challenge race series that featured famous drivers such as Derek Warwick and David Brabham, all the way up to the XJR-15’s current standing in the classic-car world.

Key Points

The personal design history and philosophy of Peter Stevens, from early influences and Lotus to the XJR-15, the McLaren F1 and beyond.

An in-depth look at how Tom Walkinshaw and TWR took Jaguar back to the winner’s circle at the world’s most famous race – the Le Mans 24 Hours

How the team behind the XJR-15 broke new ground by creating a carbon-fibre road car inspired by the V12-engined Group C sports-prototypes.

The full story of the 1991 Intercontinental Challenge series that included races at Monaco, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.

Reflections on the XJR-15’s current standing and how it has attracted a whole new enthusiast following in the 21st century.

More than 270 colour photographs and illustrations, plus contemporary sketches, press releases, newspaper articles, magazine stories and internal documents.

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.’