Page 36 - On the Prowl: The Definitive History of the Walkinshaw Jaguar Sports Car Team

ON THE PROWL
Appendix 1: Chassis Histories
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387 Build date: Spring 1987
Model type: XJR-8
RACE HISTORY
Date Track # Result (Reason) Drivers
6/14/87 Le Mans 4 5th Boesel,
Cheever,
Lammers
6/28/87 Norisring 4T DNS (Spare car)
7/5/87 Hockenheim
(Supercup)
4 1st Boesel
7/26/87 Brands
Hatch
4T DNS (Spare car)
8/30/87 Nürburgring 4T DNS (Spare car)
9/13/87 Spa 6 1st Brundle,
Dumfries,
Boesel
The third fresh XJR-8, #387 was built to Le Mans spec, which is where
it first turned a wheel, during the test weekend in May 1987. It was the
only car of that year’s trio to finish, battling through to a fifth.
It ran two further races, winning both. The German domestic sports
car championship was called Supercup, and Raul Boesel made a guest
appearance at Hockenheim, coming away with victory.
In September, TWR ran an extra car at Spa, partly to give them more
chances at victory in the quest for a driver’s title for Boesel, and partly
to give the US team a practice race before they went into competition in
1988.
Following Spa, the #387 monocoque formed the basis of one of the
new IMSA cars, #388, since time was tight to build the three chassis
before the opening round at Daytona in January 1988. TWR still wanted
to benefit from the race history of #387 and built up a car around a new
chassis, transferred the chassis plate and put it up for sale, alongside
#187, for a similar price of more than £800,000. It was purchased by
German racer Ernst Schuster, who had been racing at Le Mans in 1986
in a Joest-built Porsche 936C and had seen the XJR-6 up close, stating,
“at this time I took a fancy to the Jaguar. Later I was able to purchase one
of the four cars.”
Schuster eventually put it up for auction at the Bonhams 2013
Goodwood sale, where it failed to meet reserve but did find a buyer
post-sale, rejoining #187. Later, both cars were sold via Phil Stott to Kent
Abrahamson, and like the earlier car, this took the trip to Japan in 2016
for the Sound of Engine festival. When Abrahamson decided to sell them,
Stott helped find the next owner, shipping executive Richard Meins.
Meins has actively campaigned #387, running the Le Mans Classic
four times. In 2022 he entered the car in the Duncan Hamilton ROFGO C1
race at Donington, where it won in the hands of pro racer Andrew Bentley.
(Mathieu Bonnevie/Peter Auto)
(Julien Hergault/Peter Auto)
RACE HISTORY
Date Track # Result (Reason) Drivers
1/31/88 Daytona 66 3rd Cheever,
Watson,
Dumfries
2/28/88 Miami 66 DNF (Engine) Cheever, Boesel
3/19/88 Sebring 66T DNS (Spare car)
4/10/88 Road
Atlanta
61T DNS (Spare car)
4/24/88 West Palm
Beach
66 DNS (Withdrawn)
6/12/88 Le Mans 21 16th Sullivan, Jones,
Cobb
188 Build date: July 1987
Model type: XJR-9
(Nicolas Bremaud/Peter Auto)
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