Numbers first, because with the Jaguar XJ220 they are the story: 6222 cc Jaguar V12 engine, 507 PS. Jaguar built from 1992 to 1994, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. The shape is credited to Keith Helfet under Jim Randle. 275 were built.
Where it came from
The Jaguar XJ220 is a two-seat supercar produced by British luxury car manufacturer Jaguar from 1992 until 1994, in collaboration with the specialist automotive and race engineering company Tom Walkinshaw Racing. The XJ220 (with catalytic converter removed) recorded a top speed of 217 mph (349 km/h) during testing by Jaguar at the Nardo test track in Italy. This made it the fastest production car from 1992 to 1993. According to Jaguar, an XJ220 prototype managed a Nürburgring lap time of 7:46.36 in 1991 which was faster than any production car lap time before it. The XJ220 was developed from a V12-engined 4-wheel drive concept car designed by an informal group of Jaguar employees working in their spare time. The group wished to create a modern version of the successful Jaguar 24 Hours of Le Mans racing cars of the 1950s and 1960s that could be entered into FIA Group B competitions.
The XJ220 made use of engineering work undertaken for Jaguar's then current racing car family. The initial XJ220 concept car was unveiled to the public at the 1988 British International Motor Show, held in Birmingham, England. Its positive reception prompted Jaguar to put the car into production. Approximately 281 deposits of £50,000 each were taken and deliveries were planned for 1992. Engineering and emissions requirements resulted in significant changes to the specification of the XJ220, most notably the replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine by a turbocharged V6 engine. The changes to the specification and a collapse in the demand of high performance cars brought about by the early 1990s recess
Under the skin
The engine is 6222 cc Jaguar V12 engine; the output is 507 PS; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 1470 kg. That is roughly 345 horsepower per tonne: genuine supercar pace. Drive goes through a 5-speed manual. The wheelbase is 2640 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Jaguar line-up the Jaguar XJ220 has a clear place: it replaced the Jaguar XJR-15; it handed the line to the Jaguar C-X75 (spiritual); the factory was Bloxham, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Dodge Viper, the McLaren F1, the Bugatti EB110. Nearby in the Jaguar catalogue sit the F-Type and the Vanden Plas.
Owning one today
EPA combined economy is 21 mpg, about $4,450 a year in fuel at the EPA's assumptions. Condition, mileage and specification move any single car a long way from a headline figure.