Jaguar XJS

J

jagman4

New member
Anyone ever seen an Jaguar XJS V-12 race in any SCCA IT category?
Also, most if not all are automatics in the US. If I convert to Euro spec tranny 4 or 5 speed - is this type of thing allowed?
 
also, ask yourself what an IT spec'd V12 would perform like! if its anything like the BMW gains on the 325i.....look out. don't forget the cost of IT spec-ing a V12.
 
Automatics are not legal. If the car never came with a manual transmission then the car would not be eligable to be classified.

Raymond Blethen
 
If you are serious, contact your local Region and find out if they have an SPO class. Get that tranny and have fun. You won't be competitive, but you will be out there in the Jag.

AB

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Andy Bettencourt
06 ITS RX-7
FlatOut Motorsports
New England Region #188967
www.flatout-motorsports.com
 
Thanks for the replies. Being a Jag man it was a bench racing exercise over some pints. E-type are too collectable to trun into a race car so the XJS came to my clouded mind. The engine is very powerful and the stock brakes are also fantastic - huge 4 pot calipers up front with inboard discs at the back - 4 wheel indepentdent - no struts and a very tuneable suspension.
Tom Watkinshaw also had great success with them against the BMW 6 Series in European touring Car. Granted they were greatly modified.
Back to the bench racing and some more pints.
 
Don't forget Group 44. They raced the XJS with a lot of success after SCCA and them IMSA effectively legislated the TR8 out of competitiveness. There's some decent sites about them -- would make great GT1 car I am sure.
 
Actually, you can get an SCCA logbook for, and legally race a car with an automatic transmission. It's one of those things that's buried in the GCR and in the dingy hallways of Club Racing.

There is one big IF...you can only do it if you have a physical disability that would preclude you from racing with a manual. If your only reason for wanting to race an automatic is "cuz that's what I got in the driveway", you're out of luck.

SPO. Waaay too much potential here to be raced with just IT-level safety equipment (cage, cell, fire system etc.)

[This message has been edited by JohnRW (edited January 19, 2004).]
 
Not to be out of line here and I don't want to upset anywone but...

(my full time job is providing ADA transportaion so I know laws on people with disabilities and I do look out for their interests)

If the car is not available in a manual then it should not be legal in automatic trim only for people with a disability... this would be discriminative to those without disabilities who would be unable to drive since the car was not available with a manual transmission. If a person without the disability was allowed to race the car with an automatic then all is fare and I say go for it!!!

Raymond Blethen

*This reflects my opnion and not necessaraly others within the RST Perforamnce Racing family.
 
While checking w/your region, ask about ITE - "Improved Touring Everything." Some regions have this option...

Kirk
 
The whole 'automatic transmission' is really a non-issue. Don't know if I've ever seen anybody run with one. In NEDiv, we've got an IT driver who races with full hand controls in an manual transmission, and even a one-armed Formula Ford driver (really). They seem to manage with a manual box just fine.

In NEDiv (northeast US) and CenDiv (north central US - think Ohio to Iowa), ITE is specifically restricted to cars that meet the rule book of some OTHER series (Pro Rally, PCA, old Firehawk cars, etc.), rather than a 'run-what-you-brung' class. Super Production (SPO & SPU) is for all the other weird stuff, with more stringent requirements for cage, on-board fire system and fuel cell. As you're not going to find a Jag XJS12 mit auto transmixer in anyone else's rule book, it's SPO and a manual transmission if you want to race it.

Dropping all sorts of big missiles into ITE is a REALLY bad idea.

This Jag XJS isn't light brown/cream colored, and is occasionally spotted at 'open track days' in the northeast, is it ?
 
Originally posted by jagman4:
...Tom Watkinshaw also had great success with them against the BMW 6 Series in European touring Car. Granted they were greatly modified.
Back to the bench racing and some more pints.
Click to expand...

A little off topic, but my beloved Volvo 240T's upset the Touring Car world when the privateer teams started beating the Factory TWR V12 Jags in 1984. TWR had a lot to do with changing the turbo correction factor from 1.4 to 1.7 along with convincing Volvo's new brass in 1987 to stop racing. Then the TWR fielded the 850/S40's when Volvo came to the BTCC in 1994. Some underhanded politics to say the least. Never judge a book by its cover. Best of luck with classfying the Jag!


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David Russell
'80 ITB Volvo 242 under construction
[email protected]
 
I've been doing some research and it looks like IT cars can only be up to 6 cylinders. So that pretty much answers my question.
 
Originally posted by jagman4:
I've been doing some research and it looks like IT cars can only be up to 6 cylinders. So that pretty much answers my question.
Click to expand...

Not true... The TR8 is a V-8.
 
This is straight from the SCCA Club Racing site. Granted it is not the rules. I guess it is wrong - I looked in their database and you are correct.

SCCA Web site:
IMPROVED TOURING...
A VERY GOOD PLACE TO START
Arguably, SCCA's most popular entry-level production-based category, Improved Touring (IT) is comprised of 4- and 6-cylinder and rotary-powered automobiles featuring limited modifications. These cars do not compete on a National level, but is probably the most popular Regional-only classification. Improved Touring is separated into four classes: Improved Touring - S (ITS), Improved Touring - A (ITA), Improved Touring - B (ITB), and Improved Touring - C (ITC). The vast majority of cars in this class are former Showroom Stock cars at least five model years old (but no older than the 1968 year model). Engines and transmissions are blueprinted stock assemblies with the majority of modifications centered on suspension improvements, making IT particularly attractive to the budget-minded racer. In addition, with over 250 different classified car models and a very stable rules structure, Improved Touring is capable of suiting virtually any racing budget.

Cheers,
jagman4
 
YAY to the 5 Cyl!!!

Raymond

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rstsignature.jpg

RST Performance Racing
www.rstperformance.com
1st and 2nd 2003 ITB NARRC Championship
1st and 6th 2003 ITB NERRC Championship
3rd 2003 ITB ARRC Sprint Race
4th 2003 ITB ARRC Endoro
1st 2003 AS NERRC and NARRC Championships
 
Didn't Grp. 44 run the XJS's in TransAm? I thought I saw a blurb on this on a recent Dream Car (or whatever that show w/ Alan DeCadent (sp?) is). It was a spotlight on Jags, and they pretty much covered the full history of the cars, especially in racing.

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MARRS #25 ITB Rabbit GTI (sold) | MARRS #25 HProd Rabbit
SCCA 279608
 
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