Jaguar XJ220 S: You Know You Want To
More power and more carbon than standard, and half the price of an F40 - of course you want to!
Because an XJ220 was so unassuming before
However it's not entirely clear whether this was an original TWR car. While to spec, it registered fairly late for a 220 and appears to have the work completed by Don Law Racing. Hardly a bad thing given the pre-eminence of Don Law in Jaguar circles, but it does make the car itself a little confusing. If anyone knows more about this car's provenance we'd love to hear it!
Regardless, the spec makes for very exciting reading. It makes 690hp at 7,900rpm thanks to larger turbos, a new ECU and uprated fuel system. Torque is 526lb ft at 5,000rpm. It's claimed to hit 60mph in 2.7 seconds and 150mph in 15 flat. Don't forget that's with a manual gearbox too, which will cloak the acceleration's ferocity to some extent.
In addition to that there are some carbon body parts, competition brakes, split-rim BBS wheels, a straight-through exhaust and that wing. If you feel modern supercars are too soft and accommodating, this could be just the thing for you. It's left-hand drive too, for a bit of extra challenge.
Because an XJ220 was so sluggish before
In all seriousness though, it's hard to think of a more intense, more exhilarating 90s supercar. F40? Well yes, very good point, but it's down 200hp here by the official numbers. That and the fact the most affordable F40 on PH is £800,000 with the same mileage as the Jaguar, against £420,000 for the XJ220. If ever £420,000 could look reasonable value...
Finally, it's worth noting just how far XJ220s have come in recent years. Another XJ220 S was featured on PH ahead of an auction sale in early 2012 - it sold for $230,000, or about £150,000 at the exchange rate then. £150K! At the start of 2014 a low-mileage XJ220would have cost £160,000, which is not far off half what one will cost you now. But while the time may have passed for a 220 as an investment, the McLaren F1 is well into the millions now. There is an upside to being the underdog!
JAGUAR XJ220
Price: £420,000
Why you should: The ultimate XJ220
Why you shouldn't: The price they used to be...
See the original advert here
[Source: RM Sotheby's]
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I would still have the F40 if money was no object, which I suspect if you can afford £400 odd grand to blow on a 25 year old car, then you'd be able to afford either!
I would still have the F40 if money was no object, which I suspect if you can afford £400 odd grand to blow on a 25 year old car, then you'd be able to afford either!
Just my tuppenceworth.
Since finding out about the S cars I've been obsessed with them.
For those of you with LamboPower accounts, the one mentioned in the article for sale at an auction back in 2012 has been restored back to it's original pale blue colour, here:
http://www.lambopower.com/forum/index.php?showtopi...
upload foto
That means that along with the yellow one for sale here, the orange one owned by a member of various car forums (including this one I think) and the red one in the Marconi museum in the US, four of the five originals are back to their original spec.
Just need the final black one to be restored to it's original colour and we're sorted.
Don't know where Tom Walkinshaw's special S/C spec car is though, I do know it's not in it's original spec.
Only thing I'd do for this yellow one is have the spokes on the BBS wheels painted yellow like they originally were.
It's a shame IMO that Don Law offer the S bodykit because many of them get confused for an original S but if it means they've got more money to look after them then it's good business for them and better for us enthusiasts to see them well kept.
All these years later and I still feel the same; it's a huge, poorly defined blob IMO. It reminds me of a whaleshark. I admire the technical achievement it was at the time but asethically it's lacking.
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