The engine was an offshoot of a dual overhead cam 5.0L V-12 design that was meant specifically for Le Mans 24 hour endurance racing. Although changed to a more production friendly version, the Jaguar 5.3L V-12 still kept many features of its racing design heritage. It has seven 4 bolt main bearings, forged crankshaft, huge robust conrods, removable wet-sleeve cylinder liners, aluminum block and heads, and many other powerful features. Over the span of its twenty-some year run, the financial difficulties of Jaguar caused their V-12 to be burdened with many production compromises and vehicle ancillary problems. The motor itself, though, remains a major feat of engineering and its total potential is evidenced by its broad racing success, including two Trans-Am championships, three Daytona 24 hour victories, and two Le Mans victories.
In its civilized production version, the engine has legendary smoothness coupled with seamless power and torque all through the rpm range.

This website shows what I believe to be a rather unique attempt to make the Jaguar V-12 as mechanically sound and as visually appealing as possible. My goal was to leave the Jag V-12 largely stock, but make it as visually impressive as it deserves to be. We owners love this engine, but often show it almost apologetically. My standard joke is that looking under the Jag bonnet makes one think another car's engine threw up in the engine bay. Why should this magnificant engine look like the back of a fridge instead of the robust V-12 that it is? I wanted something that would be show worthy, but instantly recognizable as a standard Jaguar V-12.
I also addressed all the needed upgrades along the way. This includes improved gaskets, aluminum half moon seals, better cam cover bolts, proper banjo bolts, stainless water rails, high quality injector harness, electric fan, new wiring, new plug wires, etc.
I used all the best materials I could think of. Stainless wrapped CPE hose, stainless steel bolts, grade 8 chrome-plated bolts, gortex gaskets, Pi-thon clamps, teflon insulated wire, Magnecor plug wires, 3:1 heat-shrink insulation, matched powder-coating, and much more. The main work, however, was hundreds of hours of aluminum grinding and polishing and an ungodly long list of chrome plated items and chrome fasteners.

Presented here is the end result. I hope that people who see my car, either on this site, or in person, will feel the excitement that is part of the Jaguar V-12 and its rich history.

The Projects- This section leads to a list of various engine projects completed. Certainly, there has been other work done on the car that is not documented here, such as exhaust work and an inboard brake rebuild. I just wanted to show the less commonly performed projects that are more unique to my engine. Go to Projects Page
The Jaguar- This section leads to a group of pictures. These are pictures of my Jaguar XJ-S, my V-12 engine project, and a few candids taken along the way. Go to Pictures Page