Speed is in Jaguar’s Blood

There are only a handful of car companies that can boast models capable of 300km/h in their line-ups. Jaguar is one, harnessing the brand’s expertise in pioneering the use of lightweight materials and powerful, supercharged engines, to consolidate its performance car legacy.

Jaguar F-TYPE R

Speed is part of the fundamental part of the human hunger for pushing the envelope; to run faster, climb higher, dive deeper, cycle harder, to make the automobile quicker. This same drive has constantly spearheaded the development of the motorcar – and been a core part of Jaguar’s DNA.

As an Innovation Partner in the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC) project, Jaguar is also contributing its expertise to that team’s efforts, which will potentially see a land-based vehicle speed past the 1 000-mile-per-hour (1 610km/h) mark, when Sir Andy Green makes his record attempts later this year and next.

Not only will Jaguar’s technical mastery be tapped to aid in the design of the cockpit that will become Green’s supersonic home, its experts will also lend their knowledge to assist in fine-tuning the supersonic car’s electric, hydraulic, engine control, and safety systems.

Jaguar XJ220 – 20th Anniversary

At Bloodhound’s heart will beat one of Jaguar’s finest: a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine, taken from the F-TYPE R doing duty as a fuel pump. Hooked up directly to the Bloodhound’s high test peroxide (HTP) fuel tank, it will use its 400-plus kilowatts to deliver rocket fuel at a rate of 40 litres per second.

But Jaguar’s love affair with land speed record attempts isn’t a newfound love. The company’s involvement dates back to the late 1940s, when co-founder Sir William Lyons insisted on participating in top-speed runs on Belgium’s famous Jabbeke highway.

Many British manufacturers could not resist the allure of being in the record books, and in 1949 Lyons sent a Jaguar XK120 – so named for its 120 miles per hour (193km/h) top speed – to Belgium for a top-speed run.

With test driver Ron Sutton at the wheel, the XK120 achieved a maximum speed of 132mph, or 213.4km/h, earning the car the title of the fastest production car in the world. In the four years that followed the XK120 set another string of distance and speed-over-distance records at the hands of a number of notable drivers, including Sir Stirling Moss.

In 1953 the Jabbeke highway once again became the site for a record attempt. This time, with Sir Norman Dewis driving a specially-prepared XK120 featuring a number of aerodynamic modifications, including a canopy from a fighter aircraft, a speed of 277.5km/h was reached over the flying mile – setting a new world land speed record.

Jaguar XE Heritage

After the XK120’s many successful speed record attempts, as well as a 24 Hours of Le Mans victory under its belt, Jaguar continued demonstrating its British engineering prowess with the C- and D-Type race cars.

These proved to be formidable on track, thanks to the innovative use of aluminium. They were light enough to remain nimble through the corners, while aerodynamics and powerful engines endowed them with ample speed on the straightaways.

The C-Type famously became the first vehicle to complete Le Mans at an average speed of more than 100mph (161km/h), recording a speed of 170km/h over the 24 hour period.

Meanwhile, the Jaguar D-Type, which pioneered a monocoque chassis design, conquered the French race three times in succession. Capable of reaching significantly higher top speeds on the renowned Mulsanne Straight it managed to see off stiff competition from Ferrari, despite being equipped with a smaller capacity powerplant.

Jaguar Heritage

Jaguar’s continued participation in Le Mans brought it another victory in 1988, when the Jaguar XJR-9 sports-prototype race car ended Porsche’s reign of the world’s biggest Motorsport event – unsurprising given the 7.0-litre V12 racer’s ability to reach speeds in excess of 390km/h.

Two years later its successor, the Jaguar XJR-12, finished in first and second position. Even with that year’s introduction of chicanes on the Mulsanne straight, in an effort to reduce top speeds, it still blitzed the traps at speeds exceeding 350km/h.

The two contemporary Le Mans racers also served as inspiration for a roadgoing supercar: the Jaguar XJ220. As with its XK120 forebear, the XJ220 was named for its claimed top speed.

Fitted with a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, the limited-edition supercar – only 275 were produced – officially became the fastest production car in the world, in 1992, when it was driven to a maximum speed of 343km/h.

With a history of speed in the record books, a more-than-capable modern model line-up, and now direct input into humanity’s most ambitious land speed record attempt to date, Jaguar will continue to put British engineering and ingenuity in the limelight.

Finally there will be an answer to the question: who is fastest of them all?