Jaguar Group 44 XJR 5 & 7

By H.A. Branham

A mid-1980s trip to an International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) Camel GT race was all about, first and foremost, a paddock visit. Keep in mind the well-worn promotional hook: “the cars are the stars.” That was truth in the days of IMSA’s fabulous Grand Touring Prototype series and the biggest stars, for many fans, were the Group 44 Jaguar GTP XJR-5 and XJR-7 prototypes.

They didn’t win nearly as often as the monstrous Porsche 962s of the day but that mattered not; the Jags were simply stunning, a brilliant white with two shades of green striping, perhaps the most beautiful of all the GTPs. This was marketing synergy, an early Group 44 focus, with the design a nod to team sponsor Quaker State’s colors. Inevitably there were foot-traffic jams pre- and post-race as fans clamored for an up-close glimpse. Or a photo. Taken exclusively with an actual camera, back then.

Group 44 also brought an auditory experience like no other in big-time motorsports – thanks to 6.5-liter, V-12 engines, producing a normally-aspirated sound that resonates still, in fans’ memories.

“The whole white with green stripe look is iconic,” said IMSA Senior Director of Race Operations Mark Raffauf. “And their crews were always in white, never looked dirty. It was like a really classy act. It just looked like a winner.”

They were called the clean, green brigade, which was fine with straight-shooting Group 44 owner Bob Tullius. “Our people take immense pride in what they do,” Tullius said at Sebring in 1984. “There is an esprit d’ corps, if you will.”

Regarding the cars’ successes, Group 44 entries won nine GTP races between 1983-1987, four victories coming in ’83 with the XJR-5, all with Tullius co-driving. The XJR-7s arrived in ’86 and in fairness, the machines, while spectacular, had to increasingly share the spotlight by then with the men behind the wheels. The cars had attracted new stars.

·       Brian Redman, winning the Miami Grand Prix in 1984, co-driving with Doc Bundy

·       Redman teaming with the legendary Hurley Haywood to win at Road Atlanta in ‘85

·       Chip Robinson joining Tullius to win the ’86 season finale at Daytona International Speedway

·       Haywood and John Morton combining for wins at Riverside and Palm Beach in ‘87

“The competition was pretty ferocious and it wasn’t easy to win,” Raffauf said.

That final GTP victory for Group 44 was also the last drive in a Jaguar for Haywood, whose career had received a reboot from Tullius, who hired him after a bad accident had put his career on hold and potentially in jeopardy.

Tullius – also an IMSA Hall of Fame inductee this year – ran the Group 44 organization with major support from Jaguar North America, led by Mike Dale and designer Lee Dykstra. A high-water mark: Group 44 entered two XJR-5s in 1984 25 Hours of Le Mans, the first time Jaguar had raced at Le Mans in 27 years. The next year, Tullius (with partners Robinson and Claude Ballot-Lena) co-drove to 13th overall and first in the GTP class.

Le Mans was always a target, starting with Jaguar signing Tullius’ Virginia-based Group 44 team in 1982 to build GTPs. Aim, though, was twofold. The other bullseye sought was with the North American consumer and boosting the marque’s dealer network.

Seems the aim was true enough. Eventually, Group 44’s IMSA efforts led to absorption into Jaguar’s worldwide racing program.