The Jaguar XJ220 is a British supercar launched in 1992, and it was seen to be an ultimate failure by many at the time. But was it really though? It was the fastest production car in the world at the time, with a top speed of 213 mph which was a huge deal at the time. Yet, people completely overlooked that due to the fact that Jaguar did not stick to their promises at all.
In 1988, Jaguar launched the XJ220 concept at the British Motor Show. It was by far the most advanced car in the world at the time, with AWD, a large V12, fully made of aluminum, and a targeted top speed of 220mph, hence the name XJ220. It was 19 mph faster than the F40, and it put Britain right into the spotlight. The car also had crazy scissor doors. Many people were interested in the car, which convinced Jaguar to build the car.
Unfortunately, Jaguar decided that this would be too complex. The V12 was replaced by a 3.5 liter twin-turbo V6 due to environmental and weight reasons. Then the car was made RWD and the top speed was only 213 mph. The scissor doors were also dropped too which was a huge shame. Those who had put a large deposit on the car (£50,000 to be exact) were heavily disappointed and tried to get their money back. This led to a lawsuit that Jaguar actually won. Nevertheless, the XJ220 was a sales disaster for the company and the remaining cars had to sell them, for £300,000 less than they were originally priced at.
The plan was to make 350 cars. Nowadays, a manufacturer could easily sell all 350 slots before the public even knows that 350 cars will be made. But back then, things were harder. In the early 1990s, there was a worldwide financial recession that ruined the business side of success for cars like this. It wasn’t like the days of the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959. People didn’t have that sort of money anymore, and the car itself cost £490,000 new. That’s crazy money, and many people could not afford that price at all. What’s worse, was that the original price was meant to be £290,000, which again was more than the Porsche 959.
Picture via: motor1.com
Why The Hate For The XJ220 Is Unjustified
picture via: autocar.co.uk
Was the production car better than a 959? Well, many at the time didn’t feel so. It was slower to 60, and it was RWD. However, the XJ220 was so much more of a savage car. The acceleration was brutal and the ergonomics were precise. The ride was also pretty decent too, which was a huge bonus for a large supercar.
The XJ220 though faced a lot of criticism. Some of it was unfair, but there were genuine issues about this car that should have been addressed. At low revs, the car sounded like a bunch of bolts being ground together in a blender, it was beyond horrible to drive in the city, the visibility all around was terrible, practicality nonexistent, getting in and out of the car was a pain, it was stupidly hard to drive, etc.
Now, this was an early-nighties supercar so those problems were largely expected. If you take at the XJ220’s biggest rival, the Buggati EB110SS, that too was also a nightmare to drive in the city and was utterly impractical. That car though didn’t receive even half the criticism the XJ220 had. People complained about the handling, brakes, the engine, etc.
First of all, the handling wasn’t too bad. Yes, it suffered from oversteer and understeer but you have to remember the size of the car. It’s a tricky beast to handle, and it is a proper old-school car. The turbos kick in when they feel like it, the brakes require raw strength for them to work, and the only language this car understands is speed. You have to drive this car fast to avoid things like heavy steering, bad exhaust notes, horrid gear changes, etc.
The XJ220 was a proper step forwards for supercars. It was so much faster, so much more extreme and so much better. It was an elite car, that rivaled the likes of the Ferrari F40, the Buggati EB110, the Porsche 959, and even the McLaren F1. This car was expected to have problems that could only be solved by going fast, hence only true drivers could handle this car. It wasn’t meant for your average driver at all.
This was one of the early hypercars in my opinion. It was wilder than a supercar, faster than a supercar, and far more expensive than a supercar. The asking price of £490,000 back in 1992 is over $1 million today. That is a heck of a lot of money, more than most cars back in 1992.
It Will Never Be Done Again
via: wearecurated.com
The XJ220 is a car Jaguar will never create again ever. There will not be another mid-engined combustion-engined Hypercar from Jaguar. There may be an electric one or so, but will it be as good as the XJ220?
You go back to the 2000s, and the XJ220 was unloved and with loads going for around £125,000 to £150,000+ it was a complete bargain. Nowadays, the price is at half a million pounds which is insane. These cars are so sought after, that I reckon in the next few years they will become a million-pound car easily (especially the faster XJ220S model).
Jaguar almost made a successor to this car called the CX-75 back in 2010. The concept car was powered by two diesel micro gas turbines, which would not have only made it the most advanced car in the world but also the first of its kind. This was all going to be part of Jaguar’s new energy development scheme, but due to financial woes around the world, it never happened. They did make a few prototype cars but they never really worked. They were powered by a 1.6 liter twin-charged 4 cylinder engine and a plug-in hybrid system.
There were the movie cars that were part of the 2015 James Bond Film, Spectre. Only one car was packed by a supercharged V8 but that’s a very rare car.
I wish Jaguar did make this car, properly. It should have had a great big Supercharged V8 (the one from the F-Type SVR) and an electric motor (probably from the I-Pace). That would have been a Ferrari LaFerrari rival easily, and could you just imagine this and the P1 coming out at the same time?
It is a shame that jaguar canceled the CX75, but it would never be as wild as the XJ220. That car is a different breed massively, and I don’t think it can ever be replicated, etc at all. The engine is from an MG Metro 6R4 Group B rally car, and that’s a motorsport engine.