Few manufacturers can lay claim to such endurance racing success as Jaguar, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans no fewer than five times in the 1950s and lifted the trophy for three consecutive years from 1955 to 1957.

Following the retirement of the legendary D-Types in 1957, though—and the destruction of several road-going XKSS conversions in a fire at Browns Lane later that year—the Coventry firm hung up its laurels and wouldn’t return to La Sarthe in a Works capacity for three decades.

That changed when Jaguar chairman John Egan took the reins in 1980.

Setting his sights on taking the leaping cat to the forefront of motorsport, Jaguar paired with Tom Walkinshaw Racing.

The new force successfully campaigned the XJS in European Touring Car Championship before formalising the partnership and jointly founding JaguarSport.

Success soon followed, culminating in the Group C Jaguar-TWR XJR-9 taking the chequered flag at both Le Mans and Daytona in 1988 and 1990.

Walkinshaw saw in the X...