JaguarSport XJR-15

Information

Previously known as Tokai University⁠'s XJR-15 Hybrid mule - rebuilt by a Japanese college design class to be a track focused race car, fitted the YR40T engine.

After engineer career, Yoshimasa Hayashi (a former Nismo engineer, responsible for the VRH35 engines) became a professor at the Tokai University. In 2001 think he proposed to his students a project - building a race car that could start in Le Mans.

He focused on producing a racing engine with EER-Hybrid technology. Energy Efficiency Ratio system uses a turbine spinning at 100k+ rpm to recycle the exhaust gas into a 18k rpm generator. This produces electricity that is directly used, for either a 10% power increase or 10% fuel economy.⁠ A larger YR40T engine was developed, it was 20kg lighter, 50mm shorter than the VRH35 but cost half the price.

Back then XJR-15 was quite cheap and similar to the Nissan R390 GT1 race car - they bought a stock XJR-15 in 2005, it was fitted with YR40T engine & completely redesigned body kit and used as a test mule for aerodynamic studies and testing of hybrid energy recovery systems.

Restored back to factory specification circa 2015 by XJR-15 specialist Bespoke Motor Cars in Melbourne, Australia.

Sold for $1,270,000 USD at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction in 2022.