An exciting new vehicle project has begun at Renner Auto. The construction of an XJ13, equipped with a V12 Jaguar motor and a Lamborghini Gallardo manual transaxle.
While not as well known as some cars in the late 60's, the XJ13 is a beautiful racing car and we are thrilled to be building one. Starting with anRCR supplied chassis and body is a great way to recreate this classic vehicle with modern suspension and drive line components.
With only one original XJ13 in existence owned by the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust a replica vehicle is the only way to experience this awesome vehicle from the 60's.
There are some great videos of the original car, this one in particular lets you hear the original V12 engine in all its glory
The replica we are building was supplied by RCR as a painted body on chassis, so we will have to be careful with the paintwork during the build.
The first step is a preliminary suspension alignment. After a basic check was done some suspension modifications were deemed nessesary.
The client wanted to use Goodyear G-7 Bluestreaks which look great on the car but are wider than the RCR suspension was designed for. It was worth making them fit as they look great.
To fit the front tires suspension pickups were moved inboard and the upper and lower A-arms modified.
The steering rack was also centered in the chassis and the suspension adjusted for the correct castor, camber and toe.
The front now has adequate clearance to the body throughout the suspension travel.
The rear suspension was also adjusted to narrow the track although this was done without modifying the arms and pickup points.
Helper springs were then fitted on all four corners to ensure the coil springs were retained during full suspension droop (mostly when jacking the car as we hope its driven in a manner that causes the car to become airborne that often!).
Below you can see the helper spring in full extension, retaining the main coil spring and perches in place.
With the rear suspension in place and the transaxle test fitted it was time to move onto the next step, the installation of the pedals and steering column.
