Le Mans 1988: Inside Out at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works

Images: Courtesy of Swallows Racing

The Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club added a superb event to the JEC TrackSport programme with an afternoon dedicated to Jaguar’s 1988 Le Mans victory. The day drew a packed and highly engaged audience to Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works, where the story of the XJR-9’s famous win was told from both sides of the pit wall. Amongst the over 150 Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club members were a number of key luminaries from JLR past and present, the wider media and motorsport world, JLR Classic and the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.

Titled Le Mans 1988: Inside Out, the event brought together an exceptional panel and the talk was hosted by Jaguar Enthusiast Magazine Editor, Wayne Scott. He was joined by Richard West, former marketing director for TWR, 1988 Le Mans winner Andy Wallace; TWR engineer Eddie Hinckley; mechanic Rod Benoist; former Jaguar chairman Sir John Egan; and, offering the rival perspective, Nissan Group C driver Mike Wilds. The result was an evening that moved beyond headline history and into the human detail behind one of the marque’s most important victories.

Setting the Scene

With the Le Mans-winning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9 and the XJR-15 displayed nearby, the venue provided a fitting backdrop. The evening opened by placing 1988 in context — more than 30 years since Jaguar’s last Le Mans success in the 1950s, and following earlier attempts to re-establish a racing presence, including the Broadspeed programme of the 1970s.

The transition to the XJ-S touring car programme and the partnership with Tom Walkinshaw Racing marked the true turning point. From there, attention turned to Group C itself: a fuel-consumption-based formula that forced teams to balance outright speed with efficiency and discipline. As several panellists observed, it rewarded engineering intelligence just as much as horsepower — and it was in that environment Jaguar chose to return to Le Mans.

Inside the Jaguar Garage

Andy Wallace spoke candidly about arriving at TWR at a critical moment in his career. The pressure was immediate, the expectations clear. He described the steep learning curve of adapting to Group C machinery and the crucial role played by Jan Lammers in helping him settle into endurance racing at the highest level.

His recollections of driving the XJR-9 — stable, powerful and deceptively disciplined — resonated strongly with an audience clearly as keen on the technical detail as they were on the tales of human endeavour. He explained how Le Mans becomes a rhythm and how trust between driver and pit wall becomes absolute as the hours tick by.

Eddie Hinckley provided the engineer’s perspective, reflecting on his early days with Tom Walkinshaw and the growth of TWR from modest beginnings into a world championship operation. He also revisited the well-known rear wing height controversy of the era, explaining how regulatory interpretation and competitive tension were simply part of the landscape at the sharp end of Group C.

The now-famous gearbox mainshaft issue was, inevitably, a focal point – even more so when the actual artefact was presented to the room! Hinckley outlined how serious the concern was during the race and how the situation was managed from the pit wall, while Wallace described what it felt like from the cockpit, the pact the drivers formed between themselves to limit gear changes and how they had to be aware enough to sense something was delicate, but remain competitive.

The Mechanic’s Reality

Rod Benoist’s contribution brought the physical reality of Le Mans into sharp focus. He spoke about preparation in the build-up to the race, the known vulnerabilities within any endurance car, and the sheer exhaustion of working through the night. His recollection of the finish was less about celebration and more about relief — the quiet satisfaction of seeing a car survive 24 hours at full stretch.

His comments were a reminder that Le Mans victories are built on thousands of unseen decisions and countless hours of unseen labour.

The View from the Other Side

Mike Wilds added an important dimension. Racing a Nissan R88C in 1988, he saw Jaguar from the outside — as a competitor trying to keep up with them. He described the Jaguars as disciplined, efficient and relentless, and offered insight into how he approached the 1988 race in a car wracked with issues – and team politics! 

From his perspective, Jaguar’s victory sent a clear signal to the paddock: TWR had built not just a quick car, but a complete operation capable of handling the pressure of Le Mans.

The Wider Impact

Sir John Egan reflected on why Jaguar went racing in the first place. For him, Le Mans was never simply about trophies. It was about restoring credibility and proving that Jaguar could compete at the highest level once again. The 1988 victory, he explained, fed directly back into brand confidence and public perception at a crucial moment in the company’s history.

A Memorable Day

The event concluded with audience questions, thanks to the panellists for their openness and insight, and to the audience for the depth of their engagement. Many stayed on to continue discussions among the cars that framed the evening’s story. Others took advantage of the buffet lunch and a tour around the Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works facility. 

A full video of the session will be made available shortly, and a detailed editorial round-up of the stories shared on the night will appear in an upcoming issue of Jaguar Enthusiast Magazine.

For those present, it was a rare opportunity to hear the 1988 Le Mans story told not as legend, but as lived experience — from inside the garage and from across the pit lane.