RE: Jaguar XJ220 - the inside story

RE: Jaguar XJ220 - the inside story

Author
Discussion

StoatInACoat

1,352 posts

184 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
The XJ220 was the car that got me into cars. I still have a photo of a blue one with the registration "MMM 1" at a motor museum (I can't remember where) from when I was about 7. Gorgeous car and made a big impression on little me. Would absolutely love to look around one up close.

Edited by StoatInACoat on Wednesday 8th August 11:43

stew-S160

8,006 posts

237 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
It's joint #1 on my fave car list, along with the McLaren F1. I just can't separate them.
First time I saw an XJ220 in the metal was at the London motorshow in 1993. I was already in love with it, but seeing this monster there on the stands was almost too much for a 12 year old petrol head.

No one would let me sit in one though. However some kind soul gladly let me have a sit and a proper look round a DeTomaso Pantera.

Fire99

9,844 posts

228 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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Harks back to awfully great days of British engineering. British car industry in shreds, about 30pence in the budget but some extremely clever / passionate engineers, managing to create a rough diamond of a car!

It's a shame that modern legislation / regulation etc, makes doing that kind of thing today, so hard.

Bill Carr

2,234 posts

233 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
mike325112 said:
dukebox9reg said:
Always said that would be my lottery win car over anything. Not a brown one though
Would be my first lottery win supercar purchase.
And me. I've always hankered for one in silver, with the wheels from the concept.

Anyone remember the Jaguar XJ220 game on the Amiga? I played that to death back in the day. Probably the closest I'll ever get to ownership but nevermind! biggrin
http://www.lemonamiga.com/reviews/view.php?id=118

Obiwonkeyblokey

5,399 posts

239 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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funnily enough I saw a blue one outside Bourmenouth this weekend. I dont normally get excited by seeing cars anymore but this was a massive exception. amazing thing even now.

AndyClockwise

687 posts

161 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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I echo the others on here - if I won a large amount on the lottery then this would be first on my list. It just looks so amazing

Jag-D

19,633 posts

218 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
Absolutely beautiful car and one that I remember all the hype and press about back in the day.

It's such a shame that we aren't lucky enough to have this kind of breakneck, passionate, penny less enjneering project done today just for the hell of it.

Must admit, I would have to test drive one with a lottery win if not buy out right

ZesPak

24,421 posts

195 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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Ever since I saw this on my old 486 I wanted one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBlcU3829SM

TankRizzo

7,247 posts

192 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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Saw two at Wilton last weekend; the great thing is they still look sharp even against cars like the Zonda and Aventador. Superb design.

djdestiny

6,542 posts

177 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
I LOVE them and always have!
The only lottery win car above it on my list is an F40.

I loved seeing and hearing the one at Dream Rides last year at the NEC
It still amazes me how big they are!


David1976

76 posts

148 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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I have always had a soft spot for the XJ220. It is a beautiful shape, often reminded by my 1:18 scale model in British Racing Green sat next to my TV. Talking of which I must dust it off when I get home tonight...

SteveO220

226 posts

150 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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The story about the 'spec changing' is another urban myth...when Jaguar asked for £50k deposits on its new V6, 550BHP, 2 wheel-drive supercar, it received 1,500 offers for the £360k car. Reason? At the time, this seemed a bargain. F40s were trading (second hand) for around £700k+. The economy was buoyant and money freely available. By the time of delivery 3 years later, the world had changed. Some buyers could not get the funds to complete their purchase and in any case, the overall market had crashed. F40s were by now trading for around £100k - a pretty catastrophic market decline. So some of these buyers tried to renege on their contracts by claiming the car did not have the V12 they were 'expecting' (even though their contracts clearly stated that it would be a V6!). I (coincidentally) know the lawyer who represented Jaguar at the time and they have said that it was a relatively straightforward case. Jaguar let the depositors buy themselves out of their contracts and then sold on the residual cars for around £210k I think. Not the perfect end, but not entirely catastrophic, given the economic circumstances.
It is indeed an amazing car, hand built by the team who were winning Le Mans at the time (TWR) and with the racing engine from the XJR10, easily capable of being tuned to 800BHP should you wish...plus it had Le Mans racing success in 1993 (we'll forget the phoney DQ). Very nice to look at and seems to make friends wherever it goes.

BelfastBoy

779 posts

159 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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Buy one for, oh, £100k or so(?), then take it to these guys and upgrade away:

http://www.donlawracing.com/220_Index.htm

Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
300bhp/ton said:
Prof Prolapse said:
They didn't get away with it then.

Lots of demands for deposits returned and lawsuits.
What was the result of these lawsuits?

Also is it really any different today? Cars change specs all the while. I once placed an order for a Morgan +8 4.6, they stopped making it long before my order came up. Can I sue them for not making the car any longer?
Not the same thing.

These people, mostly investors who wanted to make a killing, paid a substantial deposit for the car advertised by Jaguar who then changed the car almost unrecognisably from the concept. Jaguar then refused (presumably otherwise there would be no problem) to return the deposit.

As for the result of the lawsuits, I honestly don't remember. I read an article some years ago in EVO. Given the cut back of production I think suffice to say it didn't go well.



Edited by Prof Prolapse on Wednesday 8th August 13:25

vincegail

2,456 posts

154 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
BelfastBoy said:
Buy one for, oh, £100k or so(?), then take it to these guys and upgrade away:

http://www.donlawracing.com/220_Index.htm
Are they that 'cheap' nowadays? I was about to recommend a 190.000 euros one for sale in Arnhem, NL, but apparently that is rather steap? Would have thought they would fetch a lot more money than 100k.

Watchman

6,391 posts

244 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
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Such a lot of misrepresentation going on in this thread. Read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XJ220

... which seems to be as accurate as I can recall from the events of the time. Certainly the speculators were NOT in a position where they were receiving something different to their contracts - it was the index-linking of their obligations that scuppered them, along with the collapse of the supercar market.

And the differences from prototype to production were deliberate, not enforced by budget restrictions.

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
article typo said:
XJ200
Whoops...

Watchman

6,391 posts

244 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
I do recall people being annoyed by the prototype's scissor doors being replaced by conventional ones. That did remove some of the exotic-ness I must admit.

BarbaricAvatar

1,416 posts

147 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
One of the few cars in the world that can be described as 'beautiful' beyond the automotive sense.
It also marks the bridge between Supercar and Hypercar. Fast Lambo's and Ferrari's are left in its wake, though it too struggles to stay with Veyron's and F1's.
It's sad that such an awesome machine had such a difficult birth and can't be recalled without mentioning the negatives.

richardaucock

204 posts

162 months

Wednesday 8th August 2012
quotequote all
djdestiny said:
I LOVE them and always have!
The only lottery win car above it on my list is an F40.

I loved seeing and hearing the one at Dream Rides last year at the NEC
It still amazes me how big they are!

Many classic cars look small to modern eyes. Not this! But so graceful with it: not bad for something Randle described as a 'frock'..!