The Type-01 may represent Jaguar's future, but its back catalogue is hard to beat
Look at recent auction results from across the world and you’ll see a pattern emerge. While classics like the Ferrari 250 GTO, Shelby Daytona Coupe and Mercedes 300 SLR remain the holy grail for those blessed with bottomless pockets, they could soon be knocked from their perch by the '90s supercar brigade. McLaren F1s, Ferrari F50s and Mercedes CLK GTRs have all been fetching tremendous sums in recent years, and at this rate, they’ll be smashing auction records in no time. Except for the Jaguar XJ220, which, for reasons unknown, is trailing behind in the appreciation race.
And that’s odd, because the XJ220 has all the hallmarks of a collector magnet. It was, albeit briefly, the fastest production car on the planet, clocking 217mph around Nardo’s treacherous oval in 1992, bumping the Bugatti EB110 from the top spot in the process. It was also built in collaboration with TWR, an absolute titan of motorsport at the time, while its looks have aged far more gracefully than many of its contemporaries. Saying that, Jaguar’s last-minute switch from V12 to V6 power is potentially the reason why its values have yet to go ballistic, while a production run north of 280 cars was more than double that of the McLaren F1’s. But the upshot is you can still pick these up for well under a million quid, with this 2,000-mile example listed at £549,990. Still strong money, mind, and given the going rate was around half of that just five years ago, it may not be long before the XJ220 finally approaches the illustrious seven-figure club.
Restomods these days are often associated with hyper-expensive, ultra-customised carbon-bodied throwbacks, beneath which lie the donor car’s chassis plate and maybe the original engine block. But before Singer started turning 964s into wide-arched, whale-tailed brutes, the restomod world mostly consisted of classics that looked original on the outside but had been brought into the modern era underneath. The Jaguar E-Type was particularly popular in the movement’s early days, with firms like Eagle offering total overhauls of the bits you can’t see while leaving the bits you can mostly intact.
This isn’t one of them, though. Instead, it’s an all-original Series 1 that the restomodders have yet to get their hands on. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s one of the early flat-floor models, built only during the first year of production before Jaguar fitted dished footwells to improve interior space. That makes it incredibly rare, with only 1,798 produced in right-hand drive and, presumably, only a fraction of those remain today. Fewer will be in as original condition as this, and Jaguar Heritage has even certified that it’s a matching-numbers car. It sold for £48,508 including the buyer’s fee on PH Auctions, which is a fantastic return on a car that’s covered an impressive 61,651 miles, and leaves the new owner with a bit of dilemma: to restomod, or not to restomod?
Remember when we all thought performance SUVs were all a bit silly? Some may still do, but in a world where electric Ferraris exist and look the way they do, big SUVs with equally big engines don’t seem quite as ridiculous as they used to. Except for the BMW XM, perhaps. But a Jaguar F-Pace SVR like the one we have here is now starting to look really rather tempting.
Truth be told, even the harshest SUV critic would rank the F-Pace SVR amongst their guilty pleasures. And who could blame them? The F-Pace was already a smart-looking thing to begin with, and the tweaks made to the SVR (larger openings at the front, vents behind the arches and a small diffuser) gave it a genuinely athletic look. Yes, it was 2.1 tonnes, but it had a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 with 550hp and fantastic handling to go with it. Sadly, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see another car like this from Jaguar again, meaning the only way to scratch the V8 Jag itch is to head into the classifieds. This 2022 car with 15,500 miles on the clock was listed at £54,995, which is on the higher end for an SVR, but well-used examples can be had for under £30k. A huge amount of car for the money, but if you don’t have a local Jag specialist, now would be a good time to find one.
If you’d like to sell a Jaguar or any other premium, performance or collectable car, please submit your car’s details here and a consignor will be in touch. Or, if you’d prefer to list your car on the PistonHeads classifieds, you can do so here.
*Auction car prices shown are inclusive of the buyer’s fee, which is 6% of the selling price + VAT, with a minimum of £695 + VAT.
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