The Jaguar XJ220
It’s 25 years since Jaguar introduced its XJ220 supercar. At the time the mid-engined two-seater was the fastest production car in the world, at 212.3 mph, and cost a not inconsiderable £470,000.
Jaguar made only 271 XJ220s between 1992 and 1994 in conjunction with its motorsport partner Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Such is their rarity that no more than a handful have been seen together – until this July 29, that is, when the Silverstone Classic will feature a parade of 50 examples.
Although originally conceived to feature a V12 engine plus four-wheel-drive, the production version had a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 developing 542bhp, delivered to the rear transaxle via a five-speed manual gearbox.
A racing version called the XJ220-C was introduced in 1993 to compete in the increasingly important GT class within international sports car races. Later that year, one of these factory-entered cars driven by David Brabham, David Coulthard and John Nielsen won the GT category at Le Mans, only to be controversially excluded by the French organisers.
Brabham said: “When I first saw the XJ220, I must admit I thought it was a sexy-looking beast, but as soon as we started testing it transpired to be difficult to drive.
