The Broadspeed XJ12C’s final finish, Silverstone, 1977
THERE WAS plenty of excitement when it was announced in March 1976 that Jaguar was to participate in the European Touring Car Championship. Not only was the powerful 5.3-litre XJ12 Coupe chosen to compete in the BMW-dominated series but it would be prepared and entered by Ralph Broad’s successful Broadspeed Engineering outfit.
But from start to finish, the project was largely an unmitigated disaster. To begin with, other than a one-off appearance at Silverstone that year when a single entry retired, the car wasn’t ready until the following season. And even then, due to their fragility, the two cars entered would usually retire.
Yet there were a few moments to celebrate, such as teammates Andy Rouse and Derek Bell plus John Fitzpatrick and Tim Schenken taking pole at four of the season’s opening seven races. Plus Bell and Rouse finished a fine second at the Nürburging in July.
And then came Silverstone for the famed Tourist Trophy in September. As the sole British round of the championship and the 12-month anniversary of the car’s debut, it was the race the team wanted to win above all others. With the fast nature of the track suiting the powerful V12-engined coupe, it was widely felt this was where it would all come good and the Jaguar would take its first victory.
The team gave itself the best chance to do so when Rouse and Bell took pole with Schenken and Fitzpatrick right behind, the lead Jaguar almost 0.7 seconds faster than BMW 3.0 CSL of Dieter Quester and Tom Walkinshaw in third.
From a 100mph rolling start, the partisan crowd watched as Schenken quickly took the lead when Rouse’s XJ12 spluttered with a temporary fuel injection malfunction. The two Jaguars were immediately put under heavy pressure from the several BMWs close behind and on lap four Schenken spun at Copse leaving Rouse to take the lead (pictured).
For the next 24 laps Schenken diced with the BMW of Quester to regain second, the German car often out-braking the Jaguar into corners only for the XJ12 to whoosh past on the straights. This fantastic dual finally came to a
