Factory race car

Showing posts with label Factory race car. Show all posts

Friday, March 27, 2009

1966 Jaguar XJ13

XJ13 was developed by Jaguar during the 1960's with the final prototype being finished in 1967, and carried Jaguar's first V12. The engine was remarkable in that it had twin overhead cams and mechanical fuel injection. Unfortunately, it was developed too late to be competitive and by late 1966 Jaguar was taken over by the British Motor Corporation (BMC).

According to http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z7339/Jaguar-XJ13.aspx the rules changed on the displacement of concept cars put the engine size down to 3 liters again.

The project was shelved and the XJ13 was put into storage. The next time the car was seen was in 1971 when it was taken to the MIRA circuit to make a promotional film for the official release of the V12 engine.

Unfortunately, a tyre blew on the steep banking of the MIRA track and on its first public appearance, the XJ13 was virtually destroyed.

Although the damage was extensive, Jaguar decided to have the car completely rebuilt. In the following years, the company's Heritage department showed the unique machine at various events both stationary and driving. At some point the healthier of the two engines was over-revved and destroyed. The second engine used a welded piston and could only be driven slowly. It was later rebuilt and is now on display in the Jaguar Museum in England.

Primarily developed to compete against the Ford GT 40's (which had won its first Le Mans in 1966 and went onto win the 1967 and 1969 races.) it had a top speed of 200 mph with more than 500 horsepower from a 5.0 liter V12, and high speed stability without wings.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/222/Jaguar-XJ13.html

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Herb Gordon's 1965 2+2 Mustang

Herb's dad placed an order for this 2+2, optioning it with the solid-lifter 289 High Performance and the accompanying mandatory (at extra cost) four-speed manual gearbox. He finished off the drivetrain with a 3.50:1 ratio in the 9-inch axle that was exclusive to the Hi-Po.

Then he never titled it, only drove it 2,847 miles, then parked it...

in a shed.

He never titled it because he was a used car dealer and just put dealer plates on it.

Herb's dad Bob also did careful shopping in the dealer-option Cobra Kit catalog. In the looks department, Bob opted for the Cobra Engine Dress-Up Kit, comprising finned-aluminum valve covers, a chrome radiator cap, dipstick, master-cylinder cap, oil filler cap, and air-cleaner assembly.

But this shiny breather was soon rendered useless by Bob's second, and more important, addition: the Cobra II 4-V Induction Kit that provided a cast-aluminum intake manifold mounting a pair of 500-cfm carbs topped by individual chromed air cleaners. The $245 carb kit also included a pair of Cobra medallions (as found on the nose of Shelby's AC Cobras), which Bob soon mounted beneath the 289 Hi-Po badges on the front fenders.

As a car dealer, Bob Gordon couldn't afford to lose his driver's license. So he parked his nearly new fastback with only 2,847 miles showing on the odometer and never drove it again. Also, because of his dealer status, he never bothered to have it titled.

http://www.mustangmonthly.com/featuredvehicles/173_0310_1965_ford_mustang_hi_po_rare_classic_car/index.html

Side bar: this Mustang is so low mileage that it's a restoration resource

This is the rare and just being reproduced “Arvinode” exhaust system.

Mustangs built from October, 1964 through March, 1965 with High-Performance 289 "K"-code engines were equipped with a unique dual exhaust system. Originally produced by Arvin, the system did not utilize conventional mufflers; instead, the exhaust note was “tuned” by combining the effects of resonance tubes in the front “mufflers” with conventional resonators integrated into the tailpipes. The sound was unique; low, aggressive and loud. And it increased peak torque and horsepower.
http://www.waldronexhaust.com/arvinodedualexhaust.htm

If you are wondering like I was, what is the "2+2" about: http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2008/03/ever-wonder-what-mustang-or-pontiac.html