XJ220

Forty years after Jaguar caused a sensation with it’s legendary XK120 in 1948, the British Motorshow was once again the background for the unveiling of yet another milestone in British Motor history.  A true Jaguar of breathtaking beauty and power, this was the fastest production car in the world. This was Britain’s first supercar.  This was the XJ220.

In the 1980s, Jaguar's chief-engineer Jim Randle, began an unofficial project to develop a car to compete the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959. He set up a group of like-minded Jaguar employees, working on the project after hours. His vision was a lightweight two-seater with a powerful mid-mounted V12 engine capable of 220 mph. A key member of the team was Keith Helfet, who was responsible for the styling and shape of the car and had to ensure the car looked like a Jaguar.

When Jaguar executives saw the concept they were sufficiently impressed to formally commit company resources to producing a car for the 1988 British Motor Show. The car was unveiled to the press and public and it was love at first sight. The car commanded immense media coverage and when Sir John Egan hinted, as he unveiled the prototype, that it could indeed become a production car people were already writing blank cheques.

However, few people believed it could really be put into production but Jaguar confounded their critics and built, what was at the time, the world’s fastest road car. Just as blackjack is the pride of the online casino industry, the XJ220 would be the apple of Jaguar's eye. The centre-piece for British motoring.

To develop the prototype into a full production model, Jaguar turned to Tom Walkinshaw, who had had won the Le Mans 24 Hour with the TWR XJR-9LM earlier in 1988. Walkinshaw reported back that the XJ220 could indeed be produced and could also make a decent return on the investment required but not as it stood. The car was officially announced in 1989 with a price of £361,000 and buyers paid a deposit of £50,000 to be put on the waiting list for delivery. Jaguar promised to limit initial production to 220 cars and that total production would not exceed 350. In fact, the response was overwhelming and only 48 hours after the announcement Jaguar had orders for several times this number. Many of those who placed deposits were speculators who intended to sell the car for an immediate profit.

The production version of the car was first shown to the public in October 1991 and there were many changes from the original prototype. Some were well received, as the production model was significantly lighter and shorter than the gigantic prototype. Other differences caused more consternation. The 6.2L V12 engine had been judged too difficult to get past increasingly strict emission regulations and there were also reportedly some design problems caused by the size of the power plant. It was replaced with a 3.5L V6, based on the Rover Metro 6R4 rally car engine, which was now being used in the Group C race cars. This engine was not only the first V6 in Jaguar's history but also the first to use forced induction. In spite of having half the number of cylinders, the engine produced more power than the V12 would have! Customers also missed the scissor doors, and the all wheel drive. Many of the initial customers were dissatisfied not only with the modifications to the original specification but the significant increase in delivery price. Another downfall to sales was the recession, causing many original speculators to not want to buy the car, either because they were not able, or did not think they could sell it on. Further complicating the issue was Tom Walkinshaw's offer of the faster (by acceleration, not top speed), more expensive XJR-15 which was based on the Le Mans winning XJR-9. Many of the owners challenged Jaguar in court, but  the Judge eventually sided with Jaguar.

A racing version called the XJ220C was also made. The XJ220C, driven by Win Percy won the Silverstone round of the BRDC GT Challenge. Three XJ220C's were entered in the 1993 Le Mans 24 Hour race in the newly created Grand Touring Class. Two of the cars retired but the one driven by John Nielsen, David Brabham and David Coulthard took the chequered flag to take a class win – although this was revoked two weeks later, when the car was disqualified for a technical infringement.

With the legal wrangling about the specs now in the past the XJ220 is enjoying something of a resurgence and is being rightly recognised for what is it – probably the greatest supercar of its era. With its timeless design and styling the XJ220 still looks the part and its performance still compares to today’s supercars – beating the much fêted Pagani Zonda S in a drag race! As such the XJ220 remains a much sought-after collectible supercar.

PS – We must say a big thank you to XJ220 expert Don Law of Don Law Racing for his help, advice and contacts, which have been invaluable for this project! www.donlawracing.com