Jaguar has trademarked a name that was long thought to be dead, bringing fans of the British automaker into a frenzy on the possibility of finally seeing the XJ13 name become a reality 50 years after the first and only example was completed.
According to Autocar, a Jaguar spokesman denied any intention the company has in remaking the XJ13, suggesting merely that the trademark filing is standard practice for the company. Those comments notwithstanding, there are enough reasons to believe that Jaguar’s cooking something up with the XJ13 that could lead to a limited production of the mid-60’s race car that was supposed to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For one, Jaguar Land Rover’s Heritage Division could have something to do with the car’s revival. The division is known for tackling historical and sentimental projects that are attributed to Jaguar and Land Rover. There’s a precedent for remaking the XJ13 with the XKSS, the road-going version of the D-Type that the JLR Heritage Division is bringing back to life as a nine-unit model to commemorate the nine models that were destroyed in a fire at the Browns Lane plant back in 1957. As a result, Jag was only able to build 16 of the 25 units it was supposed to create.
In a lot of ways, the XJ13’s history fits into the same category as the XKSS. Once thought of as a contender in Le Mans, the XJ13 has an even more tortured history than the XKSS because of indifference from the company’s management at that time and a crash in 1971 that wrecked the only XJ13 prototype ever built. In fact, Jaguar once admitted that the only official living example of the XJ13 is not an exact reproduction of the original, claiming that the “wheel arches are more flared” and that some of the “electric and mechanical components have been changed.”
It would be fitting that on the 50th anniversary of the XJ13, the heritage division may finally produce the 25 units of the XJ13 that it once intended to do. Jaguar’s not copping out just yet, but don’t be surprised if we finally get to see the XJ13 come to life like it was supposed to five decades ago.
Continue after the jump to read the full story.
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