jaguar_xjr-9

Monday Matinee: Chris Harris Spends Quality Time with a Historic Jaguar

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQErgDQaRZM&list=UU8AMAhCRmep7VJKe1sxvHFg[/youtube]

We’ve said time and time again that, as far as we’re concerned, the mid-1980s through the early-1990s was the golden age of sports car racing on planet earth. Yeah, yeah, we’re biased because we grew up in and formed our motorsports proclivities during that period, but let’s be real, kids: The rule packages set up by the FIA’s Group C and IMSA’s very-similar GTP categories created some of the fastest, most powerful and, oh yeah, most beautiful circuit racing cars in history. And the Jaguar XJR-9 is definitely all those things and more.

With that in mind, you probably have some grasp of the white-hot furnace of jealousy that has been burning inside us since we found out Chris Harris got to drive Jaguar XJR-9 Chassis No. 388, a.k.a. the very car that won the 1990 24 hour race at Daytona under the stewardship of Jan Lammers, Andy Wallace and Davey Jones. And while Mr. Harris’ visions of being able to sample the 6.0L V12’s full 700 horsepower and the obscene medium-to-high-speed grip that a full-on ground effects underbody can produce were dashed thanks to a day of good ol’ English weather at Brands Hatch, that doesn’t do much to tamper our envy. Nor does the fact that this car will be up for auction at RM’s Amelia Island, Florida sale on March 14th, since it is expected to bring more than $3 million, and that’s just ever so slightly out of our fiscal reach.