The magnificent looking and lavishly-specified Jaguar XJ220 coupe is absolutely the modern-day successor to the multiple-La Mans-winning C-Type and D-Type Jaguars of the 1950s, and it is derived directly from the double-Le Mans-winning TWR Jaguar Group C cars. This particularly desirable example of the most rare and exotic modern classic was only delivered to its original owner this past June, and it was driven by him to Le Mans for the 24-Hour Grand Prix d'Endurance race weekend. The car has fewer than 1,800 kms recorded. The owner offered it at a most realistic level representing a very considerable saving from list price for what is to all intents and purposes still an as-new motor car. It is left-hand drive and French-registered, and, being a late number from the limited production run, it benefits greatly from having larger brakes fitted than earlier examples. The car is finished in factory Spa silver with interior beautifully trimmed in smoke grey leather. The Jaguar XJ220 Coupe is assembled around an up-to-date, bonded and riveted monocoque chassis, formed from corrosion-proof lightweight aluminum sheet with internally-stiffened aerospace-material aluminum honeycomb sections in areas of high stress. The power unit is a race-derived Jaguar all-alloy four-cam V6 unit of 3.5 liters capacity, with separate turbochargers coupled to each 12-valve-headed cylinder bank. Transmission is via a tailor-made five-speed and reverse transaxle with synchromesh on all forward ratios, a spiral-bevel final-drive and VC limited-slip differential. Also race-derived is the suspension of the XJ220 - suitably modified for optimum comfort plus control under road-going conditions. Steering is by direct rack-and-pinion, and the brakes are power-assissted outboard-mounted and ventilated discs. The distinctive high-performance lightweight road wheels are 17 inches in diameter at the front, 18 inches at the rear, wearing ZR-rated radial-ply tires. The performance figures include the shattering 0-60 mph acceleration time of 4.0 seconds, and 0-100 mph is said to occupy just 9 seconds. Maximum speed is in the order of 220mph, and the XJ220 overall is absolutely one of the world's most illustrious supercars of the 1990s. Amongst this rare breed, the example now offered here is virtually brand-new. For any Jaguar enthusiast, this is a rare opportunity to acquire what will surely in future years be regarded as the marque's finest two-seater coupe.The magnificent looking and lavishly-specified Jaguar XJ220 coupe is absolutely the modern-day successor to the multiple-La Mans-winning C-Type and D-Type Jaguars of the 1950s, and it is derived directly from the double-Le Mans-winning TWR Jaguar Group C
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| Vehicle: | 1997 Jaguar XJ 220 coupe |
This may be the first XJ220 to change hands in the public arena. The new owner paid $193,993 for the car at the Robert Brooks 8 September 1997 auction in Paris.
For a time there was a fair amount of embarrassment associated with the XJ220s; speculators had plopped down deposits while the market was rising, and scurried like hunted weasels to get out of their contracts as the market collapsed. We’ll revise our Price Guide to reflect this sale. We don’t believe that XJ220s, over time, will ever be more than an oddity in the collector car world. – ED.