News.
25th – 27th July: Silverstone Classic.
The car again proved popular with the public, with crowds flocking to see the car that propelled Jaguar to victory twenty years ago.
11 – 13th July: Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The winning XJR9-LM was part of the Dunlop display which drew large crowds.
14th June: Return to Le Mans.
To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the historic victory Jan Lammers took the wheel of the No2 XJR9-LM again and drove a couple of exhibition laps prior to this year’s race.
9th June: Interview with Tom Walkinshaw.
No documentary about Le Mans 1988 would be complete without hearing from the architect of the Jaguar / TWR victory, Tom Walkinshaw.
4th June: Jan Lammers Interview.
Our crew went to Holland to interview racing legend Jan Lammers about the 1988 victory. Jan talks us through the race, and explains how he nursed the car through the last laps fearing that his gearbox had cracked!
23rd May: Shakedown test at MIRA.
We gained exclusive access to film the XJR9-LM being put through its paces at MIRA, and recorded some great on-board shots.
23rd April: Filming at Le Mans.
We enjoyed a flying visit to Le Mans to film some background shots of the circuit and the ACO (yes we know it has been redeveloped since 1988!), including the Mulsanne Straight, Indianapolis, the Dunlop bridge etc...
18th April: XJR9 being stripped down.
We filmed the XJR9 being stripped down and checked in preparation for the exhibition laps at this years Le Mans and spoke to longstanding TWR mechanic Jeff Wilson.
15th April: Derek Bell gives us the Porsche perspective on Le Mans 1988.
Le Mans legend and five-time winner Derek Bell kindly gave us his recollections about the 1988 race, from his view behind the wheel of his Porsche 962. Derek also gives his appraisal of the Group 44 Jaguar which he tested back in the mid Eighties.
2nd April: XJR9 Leaves museum to be refitted.
Our cameras were there to record the winning XJR9 as it was carefully transported from the JDHT museum in Coventry to Don Law Racing’s workshop in Stoke.
1st April: Tony Southgate interviewed.
We met with Tony Southgate at the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, home of the winning XJR9. He showed us the important features of the car he designed. Tony also explained the difference between the 24 hour and the sprint set ups and assessed Jaguar’s rivals – Porsche and Mercedes.
25th March: Interview with Jaguar's Chief Engineer, Alastair Macqueen.
We filmed an interview with legendary Sportscar engineer Alastair Macqueen for another angle on both the XJ-220 and the triumph at Le Mans in 1988. Alastair was the TWR Jaguar Chief Engineer in the Eighties and was responsible for the lead car at the 1988 race. He was also heavily involved in the TWR design and development team for the XJ220.
27th February: Interview with Paul Skilleter.
Author, journalist and Jaguar aficionado Paul Skilleter shared his recollections of the development and launch of the iconic XJ220, from the early days of the Saturday Club, the Motor Show at the NEC, the transition to the production model with TWR and putting the supercar through its paces at a supermarket car park!
26th February: Interview with Sir John Egan.
Former Jaguar Chairman Sir John Egan gave a polished and very informative interview. We learnt about the strike that greeted his arrival at Browns Lane, his decision to resurrect the company’s racing heritage and his memories of the famous victory at Le Mans.
21st February: Andy Wallace.
We were fortunate to catch Andy between test drives and he gave a great interview! He talked us around the Le Mans circuit, explained the tactics and techniques needed to keep competitive. He also provided some real insights into the dangers of the slower cars and what it was like to win the race at his first attempt.
7th February: John Grant.
John was Deputy Chairman of Jaguar when the XJ220 production models were launched. We hear some revealing details of the disputes arising from the switch from a V12 to a V6 engine. Originally from Ford, John explains Ford’s reaction to inheriting the Supercar and TWR Group C projects and the politics that framed the background to the XJ220’s development.
1st February: Keith Helfet.
We filmed an in-depth interview with Keith Helfet - the man responsible for styling the XJ220. We were privileged to be granted access to Keith’s prototype scale models and early blue prints for the super-car. Keith explained the XJ220 development process and what it was like to work with the legendary William Lyons in his early days with the company.
15th January 2008, Jaguar and Daimler Heritage Trust give the green light to Jag88 project:
After a meeting with Definition Media today the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust (JDHT) have given the go ahead for the Jag88 project. The winning car's guardians will be working closely with Definition Media on the 1988 Le Mans documentary and will allow the producers access to the car and their extensive photographic archive. Definition Media would like to thank JDHT and in particular Executive Director John Maries and Curator of Vehicles Tony O'Keefe for their help in making the Jag88 project a reality.
9th January 2008, XJ220 Designer Jim Randle interviewed:
Jim gave us some fascinating insights into the creation of the legendary car and also explained the mood at Jaguar in the eighties in regard to the TWR racing program and what it was like to work with Tom Walkinshaw himself.
