The Sporty Jaguar XJ220 Made Twisted History

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It Was Poised To Make History And Almost Got There

If you are lucky enough, you may need just a little input to land a good deal for the sporty Jaguar XJ220. It was in production between 1992 and 1994. Jaguar collaborated with Tom Walkinshaw Racing(TWR), a specialist automotive and race engineering firm.

The XJ220 wasn’t without a good record in its time. It nailed 221.3 mph on the speedometer when tested at the Nardo test track in Italy. With lots of special features, it became the fastest production car between 1992 and 1993.

The V12 engine on the Jaguar that rode all the four wheels was developed by a group of curious Jaguar employees in their spare time. Their aim was to create a production modern version of a car that had won the Le Mans 24 Hours in the 1950s and 1960s.

It, therefore, utilized some very keen and detailed engineering outputs. The lead engineer of the project described the works of this epic car as “intentionally complex.”

Jaguar, however, encountered a major challenge in marketing the car as it fell short of its promise. While it had promised a massive V12 engine, it finally delivered a V6 3.5-liter engine.

Orders had been made but this disconnect resulted in bad taste. With just 282 of the planned 350 finally built by the time production ended in 1994, it was time to call off the project.
This notwithstanding, this car still fetches some decent figures from sellers whenever it comes up for sale.