They are definitely different. These are the ones in my XJR-15

 

Took advantage of the early morning sun to take the Jaguar XJR-15 out for a run today. Despite not having moved in over a month, it started right up and ran beautifully. The more use it gets, the better it becomes. It is such a unique special car that every time out is an adventure. I have enough miles in the "15" now that it all comes back very quickly and it is easy to get into a quick flow once underway. The huge amount of torque the V12 produces always impresses and the soundtrack is raw, powerful, and penetrating. The lack of sound insulation means that you can hear and enjoy the entire range of mechanical orchestration from the gearbox to the crankshaft, to each piston. It is a car that truly feels alive on the road and you need to learn how to work in smooth conjunction with the machine to get the best out of it. The brakes and steering are both excellent. The amount of grip the "15" has, even on a stone cold road, is impressive. Key to a good run though is driving it more like a race, and not road car. You need to set up corners, pick your braking and turn in points, and then allow the torque to push you out of the corner. Once you get the rhythm it a terrific feeling. With today's light traffic and clear weather it was a great rewarding drive. Only regret was it didn't last longer.

 

I feel quite envious of your outing in the ‘15’ over the weekend. With one waiting for DVLA registration and the other not quite in one piece, I am reduced to an interesting pass time of just comparing the two. In a previous post I mentioned the difference in the steering. I can now confirm that the gearing of the road and race racks is quite different. The road car has a better turning circle which is excellent for manoeuvring, but the race car is far more precise and reactive whilst at the same time being less manoeuvrable and requires more work in tight spaces. One of the other ‘15’ race car owners describes the steering as being similar to a go-kart, which he used to race, I think that this is a very accurate analogy. Today I took the time to settle another difference on the steering, that being the distance the steering wheel is from the dash. The road car steering wheel is 1 ½” closer to the dash than the race car. This may be due to the race car steering wheel being removable, whereas the road car’s is not. This makes a big difference if you are tall with long arms. These quite small differences make a big impact on the driving characteristics of the car, the race car being very sensitive to steering inputs and the road car being less sensitive but giving a smoother flow to the driver. I can’t wait to do my back to back drive so that I can really get a sense of the two very different characters that reside within the same form.

 

Great blog on the XJR-15: Comfortably Numb in an XJR-15 blog on Evo Community by steveo220

 

Today was an interesting day. When I collected the post from the postbox this morning there was a single brown envelope in the box. To my surprise it was the return of the documents for the registration of the Lm along with the tax disc....a first proper drive of the car was a must. Once I had affixed the plate to the car I was eager to get out on the road. The car is and unknown quantity and so it is a case of taking one step at a time with it. I covered about 5o miles with a brief stop along the way. The car ran really well. I hope to have the race car back in one piece in the next few days which will give me a chance to do my back to back drive.

 

Took the XJR-15 out for what will probably be its last run of the year yesterday. Between being away for its annual service and far to much business travel over the last three months, the XJR-15 had not seen any proper road time in over 3 months. Despite this it started right up and after letting it warm up slowly, we headed out to find some open road. The first ten minutes behind the wheel were a bit awkward as we got acclimated. After that it all fell back into place and we had a good hard run. The 6 liter V12 is such an impressive engine with a great soundtrack. Power band starts as soon as you touch the gas pedal and it pulls hard right up to the redline. While not the easiest car to drive, the XJR-15 is hugely rewarding if you put in the effort to learn how. It doesn't get much better or more hardcore.

 

I love when I see a thread update in here. Every description of a drive is fun to read. What an excellent car, keep us updated

 

New 900 miles on his way to my house

 

Congratulations, is this a 5 or 6 speed version?

 

Excellent! How many xjr15s are on TS now? Amazing