Jaguar XJ220: Spotted

Can £160K for a used Jag ever be considered a bargain? In the case of this one just possibly

Wings, French Racing Blue and Bricktop; they have been the main PH topics of discussion when talking Jaguar XFR-S. Perhaps because it uses the same engine as the XKR-S and is actually a few brake down on the German rivals, outright power hasn't always been at the forefront.

Massive, and massively fast too

But it's worth repeating, as it's a rather staggering stat; the XFR-S, ostensibly a luxury saloon and one that will likely depreciate to nearly affordable levels, makes as much power as an XJ220. Of course it's a (much) heavier car and of course the XJ220 makes accessing that power more of a challenge, but it still seems rather absurd. Will we see 600hp saloon cars in future, or just lighter ones?

Anyway, that's a debate for another time. What's intriguing right now is the relative affordability of XJ220s, especially given the skyrocketing values of its contemporaries. What would a delivery mileage F40 cost now? There's an XJ220 with 155 miles on it for £224,950. There are Diablos for sale at more than that, leave alone EB110s, F50s and F1s.

The car we've featured here is positively leggy by the standards of used XJ220s with 11,600 recorded miles and for sale at £159,850. And let's not forget the significance of the XJ220; prior to the big Jag, the only car to have hit 200mph was the F40, shorn of any excess or comfort in pursuit of 201mph. The XJ220 was hugely luxurious by comparison and stormed on to 213mph.

Huge rear track houses 345-section rears

But then along came the Bugatti EB110 and the McLaren F1 to take the Jaguar's terminal velocity glory. Combined with the debacle of actually selling the XJ220, it has never really found favour with supercar collectors.

And it really shouldn't be that way. See this video from our colleagues at Autocar to be reminded of just what a spectacular car the XJ220 is to drive. Furthermore despite its gargantuan size, the XJ220 remains a very pretty car (to these eyes at least) for what is fundamentally a 25 year-old design.

The video is from the end of 2012 and states that decent XJ220s were starting at around £165K, the intimation being that values could only rise as the market wakes up to its importance. That doesn't seem to have happened just yet.

The XJ220 certainly isn't perfect. Everyone knows the brakes are pretty lacklustre (though this car has an upgrade), that it's hard to see out of and the interior isn't exactly glamorous. But the flawed supercars are the most desirable ones, aren't they?

JAGUAR XJ220
Engine: 3,498cc twin-turbo V6
Transmission: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 550hp@7,200rpm
Torque (lb ft): 475@4,500rpm
MPG: Probably quite bad
CO2: As above
First registered: 1995
Recorded mileage: 11,600
Price new: £403,000 (1993)
Yours for: £159,850

See the original advert here

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Pumajay

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