This article explores the history and design of the Jaguar XJ220, a high-performance supercar conceived in the late 1980s. It highlights the contributions of designer Keith Helfet, who drew inspiration from Jaguar's racing heritage and aimed to showcase the brand's capabilities. The article delves into the development of the car, including its powerful V12 engine and the challenges faced in achieving its ambitious target speed.
Can get a bit hot inside if you live in a sunny country…Ever heard of Keith Helfet? No, thought not. Well, he’s a South African who used to work for Jaguar as a stylist. He designed an F-Type concept and, in 1999, the rather lovely 450hp XK180 to celebrate the XK line’s 50th birthday. Despite the warmth of the 180’s reception, only two examples were built.
The original XJ220 concept car – now part of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection – was pushed onto the Jaguar stand by an exhausted development team at 3am on the opening day of the 1988 NEC show. It went down a storm, stealing the thunder of Ferrari who had brought their new F40 to Birmingham. Well over a thousand expressions of interest were received. Suitably encouraged, Jaguar took the decision to start building the XJ220 for real at a purpose-built factory in Bloxham, Oxfordshire.
That wasn’t the whole XJ220 story. Six powered-up S models were homologated by TWR in 1993. These bigger-turboed cars made 700hp at 7,900rpm and 526lb ft of torque at 5,000rpm, still running through the standard XJ’s manual 5-speed gearbox and AP Racing twin-plate clutch. Besides the mech tuning there was carbon fibre for every body panel bar the doors, competition brakes, split-rim BBS wheels, a straight-through exhaust, and plenty of aero mods including a big rear wing.
The first production XJ220 was unveiled by Princess Diana at Bloxham. It was illegal in the US until it was 25 years old, but 32 cars found their way there before that under the ‘show or display’ exemption. One of them was imported into the States from Japan where the owner had kept it on the 37th floor of his Tokyo office building. Eventually, Jaguar and TWR passed the whole XJ220 project onto Don Law Racing in Staffordshire.
TWR put one of these XJ engines into an otherwise innocent-looking G-reg white Transit van in order to test the drivetrain. According to the internet this Trannie was off the road for five years from 2019. We think it might have belonged to Don Law at one point, and maybe still does. The most recent pics we’ve seen of it show Justin Law hammering it up the hill at Goodwood. Joyously it was given a fresh MOT in July ’24. The only advisories in that test, predictably, were for two worn rear tyres.
The XJ’s wonderfully understated centrelock staggered wheels were designed and supplied by rally specialists Speedline Corse, with Bridgestone supplying a batch of specially-created Expedia asymmetric tyres to go on them. Once they were used up replacement tyres couldn’t be found for quite a while until Bridgestone decided to create successor tyres which came on stream in mid-2017.
Jaguar XJ220 Supercar Design History
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