Page 1 of 2 Next >> By the early 1970s and now powered by a V12 engine, the Jaguar E-Type was on its last legs. The situation was particularly dire in the United States where thousands reputedly sat unsold on the docksides. To increase the car's appeal British Leyland's North American director Mike Dale asked Bob Tullius' Group 44 and Huffaker Engineering to campaign an E-Type each in the East Coast and West Coast SCCA production car championships respectively.
Although he had raced a choice of British Leyland products, this was the first time Bob Tullius would campaign a Jaguar. His Group 44 operation was to prove to be the most successful of the two and the team's association with Jaguar would last well into the 1980s. Readied for the 1974 season, the Series III E-Type replaced the Triumph TR6 campaigned most recently by Tullius.
As the E-Type would be run in the production class, the modifications allowed by the regulations were very limited. Group 44 engineers Brian Fuerstenau and Lawton Foushee nevertheless explored every opportunity to improve the stock roadster. It was stripped off every unnecessary component including the windshield to reduce the weight. This was replaced by a small piece of plexiglass that offered little in the way of driver protection.
The SOHC V12 received the most attention with oil starvation issues in corners being a major concern. This had been the Achilles heal of the V12-engined Jaguars raced in Europe. Group 44 made some minor adjustments to the wet sump lubrication system, which completely cured to problem. To maximise the engine's performance numerous other tweaks were made to the intake and exhaust system, raising the power to 460 bhp from 272 bhp in the stock road car. Page 1 of 2 Next >>
Ultimatecarpage.com
> Cars by brand
> Great Britain
> Jaguar
Racing cars
> GT Cars
By the early 1970s and now powered by a V12 engine, the Jaguar E-Type was on its last legs. The situation was particularly dire in the United States where thousands reputedly sat unsold on the docksides. To increase the car's appeal British Leyland's North American director Mike Dale asked Bob Tullius' Group 44 and Huffaker Engineering to campaign an E-Type each in the East Coast and West Coast SCCA production car championships respectively.