The XJ220: A Superlative Super car

This has been 20 years since Jaguar launched the XJ220, a superlative supercar that has become perhaps the most maligned in history. Victim of some half-truths, some hard truths, and some downright lies, it is time to set the record straight. I remember road testing it as if it were yesterday. We had the car blasted cross country to Wales, flung it over the mountains, let it reduce a Ferrari 5-1,2 tr to tears on the test track, and even inadvertently crashed it trying to get to the bottom of its abilities. Frankly, it blew our minds.

The XJ220 was launched in 1992, a time when the supercar was still evolving. There wasn't a McLaren F1 yet, nor was there a Ferrari F50. The only car that had ever done 200 miles an hour was the F40, and even then, it only just managed to reach that speed. But along came the XJ220, and in a flash, it did 213 miles an hour. This car, driven by Handy, did the impossible, leaving the world in awe.

When we wrote tested this car 20 years ago, its lap time was 16.3 seconds. Now, that probably doesn't sound too great these days, but think about how it did it. The XJ220 did everything without sticky tires, traction control, launch control, flappy paddles, or four-wheel drive. It had nothing other than pure road-going potential. But today, it still feels intergalactically quick when those two turbos cut in. You need to be pointing in a straight line and hanging on for dear life.

So, why is the XJ220 so fast? It has 542 horsepower, which is a lot of power by any standards. But these days, that's just standard fare. We're used to seeing numbers like those in supercars today. The secret to its power lies in its six-and-a-half-liter twin-turbo engine. This engine was developed using lessons learned from the XJ220's racing success in 1988 and 1990, when it won twice. The technology applied to this car has helped make it one of the fastest road cars in the world.

The XJ220 is not a car without its problems, however. It is colossal II wide, which can be an issue on Britain's A-roads and B-roads. The brakes are also not up to the mark of some supercars, even when modified and worked upon. You cannot see out of the windscreen, and the locking system is terrible. But despite these issues, the XJ220 remains a beautiful, fast, rare, and epic car to drive on the road.

We've brought the XJ220 back to Donn lawns place, where we can see more of these cars are looked after than everywhere else in the world put together. The price of a good XJ220 is around £165,000, although you can get them for less now. If you consider that, it's probably less than half what you pay for an F40 today, and rather less than a tenth of what you pay for a McLaren F1. So what does that buy you? It buys you a British supercar that is still absolutely epic to drive on the road.

The XJ220 has been in the shadows for far too long, not receiving the recognition it deserves as one of the greatest supercars of all time. Not just at its time but of any time, it should be celebrated for its performance, design, and engineering prowess. It's time for the XJ220 to step out of the shadows and assume its place among the greats.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis has been 20 years since Jaguar launched the xj220 20 years in which it has become perhaps the most maligned supercar in history victim of some half-truths some hard truths and some downright lies I think the time has come to set the record straight I remember Road testing it as if it were yesterday we Boyd Tom Walkinshaw bone company car blasted it cross country to Wales flung it over the mountains let it reduce a Ferrari 5-1 2tr to tears running its neck on the test track and even inadvertently crashed it trying to get to the bottom of its abilities frankly it blew our minds so let's see if it still can to understand exactly what the x8 do 20 was in 1992 you have to understand where the supercar was then there wasn't a McLaren f1 that was still a couple either way there was no big Seb 110 no Ferrari f50 in fact the only car that had ever done 200 miles an hour was the f40 and that only just and then along comes they actually do 20 and in a flash it does 213 miles now this car driven by handy was a Stockton did 213 miles now the world had never seen anything like it think about the numbers when we wrote tested this car 20 years ago it did not 16 3.6 seconds now that probably doesn't sound too great these days but think about how it did it it did it without sticky tires without traction control without launch control that flappy paddles without four-wheel drive it had nothing other than pure rut does it feel fast today no it feels intergalactically quick when those two turbos cut in you need to be pointing in a straight line and hanging on even by 2012 standards bed is ridiculous so why is the xj220 so fast it has 542 horsepower which is a lot of power by any standards but these days is the kind of number that will quite used to seeing but we're used to seeing it in the context of a car way maybe 17 maybe 18 hundred kilograms this thing weighs under 1,500 kilograms philosophy pulled us all talking that'd be six three and a half litre twin-turbo engine is what unlocks the secret of this cars power and it wasn't just quick in a straight line you have to remember that the 82 20 came right on the back jag you again back to the more on winning it twice in 1988 and 1990 so the lessons that were learned on the track were applied to this car it's not a Group C car in disguise like the X ray ar-15 was but in terms of its suspension in terms of lots of its aerodynamics it has that technology in it so couple that lightweight with that technology plus a 345 section rear tire and this is a car that will go around corners of speeds most modern cars wouldn't even look at today of course the xj220 is not a car without any problems at all it is colossal II wide which on these British a and B roads is a bit of an issue the brakes really aren't up to the forms of the car even when they've been modified and worked upon as those in this car have been you really can't see out of it the lock is terrible and as for the engine well I mean it certainly gets the job done well then noise it makes it sound more like an inner city right and something that you stick in the back of a supercar so we're back we brought the xj220 back to Donn laws place where as you can probably see more of these cars are looked after than everywhere else in the world put together now Don reckons the price of a good xj220 starts at about 165 thousand pounds although you can get them for less now if you think about that that's probably less than half what you pay for an f40 these days probably rather less than a tenth of what you pay for McLaren f1 and what does that buy you well it buys you a British supercar that is beautiful fast rare and as I've just been reminding myself still absolutely epic to drive out there on the road so what does this mean well to me it means one thing and one thing only it is time for the XT 220 finally to step out of the shadows and assume its place among the ranks of the great supercars not just at its time but of any time youthis has been 20 years since Jaguar launched the xj220 20 years in which it has become perhaps the most maligned supercar in history victim of some half-truths some hard truths and some downright lies I think the time has come to set the record straight I remember Road testing it as if it were yesterday we Boyd Tom Walkinshaw bone company car blasted it cross country to Wales flung it over the mountains let it reduce a Ferrari 5-1 2tr to tears running its neck on the test track and even inadvertently crashed it trying to get to the bottom of its abilities frankly it blew our minds so let's see if it still can to understand exactly what the x8 do 20 was in 1992 you have to understand where the supercar was then there wasn't a McLaren f1 that was still a couple either way there was no big Seb 110 no Ferrari f50 in fact the only car that had ever done 200 miles an hour was the f40 and that only just and then along comes they actually do 20 and in a flash it does 213 miles now this car driven by handy was a Stockton did 213 miles now the world had never seen anything like it think about the numbers when we wrote tested this car 20 years ago it did not 16 3.6 seconds now that probably doesn't sound too great these days but think about how it did it it did it without sticky tires without traction control without launch control that flappy paddles without four-wheel drive it had nothing other than pure rut does it feel fast today no it feels intergalactically quick when those two turbos cut in you need to be pointing in a straight line and hanging on even by 2012 standards bed is ridiculous so why is the xj220 so fast it has 542 horsepower which is a lot of power by any standards but these days is the kind of number that will quite used to seeing but we're used to seeing it in the context of a car way maybe 17 maybe 18 hundred kilograms this thing weighs under 1,500 kilograms philosophy pulled us all talking that'd be six three and a half litre twin-turbo engine is what unlocks the secret of this cars power and it wasn't just quick in a straight line you have to remember that the 82 20 came right on the back jag you again back to the more on winning it twice in 1988 and 1990 so the lessons that were learned on the track were applied to this car it's not a Group C car in disguise like the X ray ar-15 was but in terms of its suspension in terms of lots of its aerodynamics it has that technology in it so couple that lightweight with that technology plus a 345 section rear tire and this is a car that will go around corners of speeds most modern cars wouldn't even look at today of course the xj220 is not a car without any problems at all it is colossal II wide which on these British a and B roads is a bit of an issue the brakes really aren't up to the forms of the car even when they've been modified and worked upon as those in this car have been you really can't see out of it the lock is terrible and as for the engine well I mean it certainly gets the job done well then noise it makes it sound more like an inner city right and something that you stick in the back of a supercar so we're back we brought the xj220 back to Donn laws place where as you can probably see more of these cars are looked after than everywhere else in the world put together now Don reckons the price of a good xj220 starts at about 165 thousand pounds although you can get them for less now if you think about that that's probably less than half what you pay for an f40 these days probably rather less than a tenth of what you pay for McLaren f1 and what does that buy you well it buys you a British supercar that is beautiful fast rare and as I've just been reminding myself still absolutely epic to drive out there on the road so what does this mean well to me it means one thing and one thing only it is time for the XT 220 finally to step out of the shadows and assume its place among the ranks of the great supercars not just at its time but of any time you\n"