The one-off Jaguar XJ13 was one of the rarest gems in the marque’s history. With only one prototype built in the 1960s, it was planned for Le Mans 24 Hours but it didn’t happen in the end. There are a few replicas on the market including the one built by Rod Tempero, and now Ecurie Cars is bringing us a new track-focus car inspired by the legendary model.
The Ecurie Ecosse LM69 is built around a dreamy, fairytale-like story: what if Scottish race team Ecurie Ecosse, two-time Le Mans winners with Jaguar D-types, stepped inside Jaguar’s headquarters in 1967, spotted the XJ13 and decided to go ahead with it? With the standard two-year development period the racer would be ready to compete against Ferrari and Ford at the 1969 Le Mans…
Back to 2019, Ecurie Cars has kept the spirit of the XJ13 but developed new bodywork for the Ecurie Ecosse LM69. Still, the design and engineering team have adhered to regulations and technology no later than early 1969. At the heart of the car is the quad-cam V12, which will be offered in the “standard” 1966 5.0 to 5.3-litre version and a more powerful 7.3-litre version. The car is also fully road-legal despite its track-focus features. Only 25 examples will be hand-built in the West Midlands in Britain. Even the production run is a reference to the 1969 FIA homologation requirements.
