I never thought I’d witness such a rare racecar in person, but here it was rolling right past me in the paddock at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
- Car: Jaguar XKR Trans Am
- Location: Southern California
- Photog: 16vPete (Instagram)
- Camera: Canon EOS-1D MkII, 50mm 1.8 AF
I shot this photo at a Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) race weekend back in winter of 2018. What a wild, deep cut of a racecar to turn into an SCCA GT2 competitor. To my knowledge, this generation of XKR started out life as a Trans Am racecar and had a short life in the series. Jaguar has always been associated with motorsports, but I never knew this went so far as to include Trans Am, a distinctly American racing series that’s essentially street-and-road-circuit NASCAR. It’s pretty cool that Jaguar ran it back in the day.
To the surprise of nobody, this example was a beast to witness in person. When it was fired up in the pits, it was so unbelievably loud. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see it rip on track, but I definitely heard it through every single one of the track’s turns all the way from the middle of the paddock.
What to read next:
- Check out our new eighth-generation Honda Civic Si project car!
- Take a close look at the amazing aerodynamics of the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS.
- Spread these safety tips about driving on black ice.
- Gain a new appreciation for the C8 Corvette Z06’s mighty engine with this cutaway examination.
- See why our electric car tests in the midwest are meeting some challenges.
