The design structure of a mid-engined prototype was first mooted in 1960 by William Heynes, but it was not until 1965 that construction began, with the first car running by March 1966.

The aluminium body exterior was designed by Malcolm Sayer, the aerodynamicist responsible for aerodynamic air flow work on the Jaguar C-type and D-type.

The task of building the car was entrusted by Heynes to Engineer Derick White, Ted Brookes, Mike Kimberley, and Bob Blake in the Browns Lane experimental department's "competition shop"—Blake described by his contemporaries as "An Artist in Metal".

Jack Brabham was approached in this regard,[4] but the challenge was eventually taken up by ex-Jaguar Apprentice David Hobbs,[5] who was recruited as the XJ13's main test driver.

It produces 502 horsepower at 7600 rpm, mounted behind the driver, used as a stressed chassis member together with the five-speed manual ZF Transaxle driving the rear wheels.

However, the rest was different, with two long radius arms per side angling back from the central body tub together with a single fabricated transverse lower link.

The development of the XJ13, although treated seriously by the designers, was never a priority for company management (despite assistant MD Lofty England's Le Mans success in the 1950s) and became less so following the 1966 merger with BMC.

The prototype was put into storage and no further examples were made - one reason may have been that there was a literal flood of dozens of V12 race cars available on the market.

Some years later, Edward Loades spotted the crashed XJ13 in storage at Jaguar and made the offer to 'Lofty' England that his company Abbey Panels should rebuild the car.

Research was conducted by Neville Swales, owner of Building the Legend Ltd. Generally accepted as being an authentic re-creation of the pre-crash 1966 Jaguar XJ13.