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Jaguar XJ220
While most cars are carefully planned for production and have the full backing of the manufacturer, the Jaguar XJ220 was first built in the spare time of Jaguar engineers without Jaguar's knowledge. Jim Randle, Jaguar's chief engineer at the time, wanted to create the ultimate supercar and convinced several of the other engineers at Jaguar to help him make his dream reality. Working on Saturday nights, the small group of engineers slowly began creating the "ultimate supercar". Eventually, Jaguar found out about the car and ended up helping the engineers build the first prototype.

The first XJ220 concept car made its debut at the 1988 Birmingham Motor Show and was received with overwhelming enthusiasm. The reaction from auto enthusiasts around the world was so great that Jaguar decided to build a production version of the car. The world economy at the time was in full swing and Jaguar could afford to build a supercar like the XJ220.

While the XJ220 concept featured a V12 engine, Jaguar decided to instead use a racing V6 displacing 3.5 liters for the production car. The V12 was too bulky and the lower displacement was offset by using twin Garrett T3 turbochargers, four camshafts, and four valves per cylinder. The stats of the engine speak for themselves: 542 hp @ 6500 rpm and 473 lb-ft torque @ 5000 rpm. All of this power was put to the wheels through a 5-speed transaxle, and massive tires (255/45ZR17 front / 345/35ZR-18 rear) put all the power to the ground and helped maintain traction when accelerating, cornering, and braking. 13-inch front rotors and 11.8-inch rotors in the rear helped stop the car in supercar-like fashion.


1988 Prototype Jaguar XJ 220

The body of the prototype XJ220 was built of aluminum and the production version retained the use of this material. The bonded-aluminum honeycomb body panels formed one of the most beautiful bodies to cover a chassis. The curb weight stayed at a low 3025 lbs because of the aluminum body and lighter engine. Also because of the V6 engine, the length of the car was reduced by an astounding ten inches from the prototype, but the car remained extremely wide at 6 feet, 6 inches.



Acceleration times included a 3.5 second sprint to 60 mph and 100 mph was reached in only 8 seconds. The 1/4 mile could be done in just under 12 seconds at over 120 mph. Top speed, like the name of the car suggests, is just under 220 mph. In 1991 Andy Wallace tested the XJ220 at an incredible 212.3 mph in Fort Stockton, Texas. This made it the fastest production car of its time. It's record stood until Gordon Murray's McLaren F1 shattered the top speed record with its 240 mph run.

Jaguar XJ 220C

1993 Jaguar XJ 220 Fast Masters Series

Jaguar intended the XJ220 to be a very limited edition car, producing only 350 cars from 1991-1994. However, the production run turned out to be too exclusive as Jaguar had trouble selling all of the cars. With the crash of the supercar economy in the early 1990's, the switch from the V12 to the twin-turbo V6, and the enormous $678,000 price tag, several buyers tried to pull out of their orders. Legal proceedings ensued as Jaguar demanded that buyers stand by their promise to buy the car.

1988 Prototype Jaguar XJ 220

It is a real shame that the Jaguar XJ220 was not built a decade later. Today in the supercar world where Koenigsegg, Pagani, Ferrari, and Bugatti are all making extremely fast and financially successful cars, the XJ220 would have fit right in.

1922 Swallow Sidecar and 1993 Jaguar XJ 220


Jaguar XJ220 - E-Type - XK 120

Top Speed

217 mph (349 km/h)



Images from Jaguar,
Text By Drew Phillips Fast-Autos 2003

Acceleration (0-60)

3.6 seconds

Acceleration (0-100)

7.9 seconds

Engine

Turbo V-6, 3498cc

Horsepower

549 bhp @ 7200 rpm

Torque

642 Nm @ 485 rpm

Length

4930 mm

Width

2220 mm

Weight

1555 kg

Transmission

Manual 5 speed

Chassis

Aluminium honeycomb, ali body

Brakes

Discs all round