1992 Jaguar XJ220 Coupe

In 1988 at the Birmingham Motor Show, Jaguar unveiled their XJ220 Supercar. The car was produced in conjunction with Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Managing Director Sir John Egan had strongly backed TWR, and the two proved to be a formidable motorsports powerhouse. The remarkable Jaguar XJ had won the European Touring Championship in 1980 and the XJR series of sports prototypes that captured the coveted trophy at the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 1988 with the XJR9LM. Another impressive accomplishment by Walkinshaw was winning the Group 'C' World Championship with Jaguar. The success and popularity between both Jaguar and Walkinshaw transferred from the race track into a world-class road-going supercar. The car would rival the Ferrari F40.

The Jaguar XJ220 was given a 24-valve twin-turbocharged V6 engine mounted mid-ship and fitted with a five-speed manual transmission. The 542 horsepower engine could carry the car to a top speed of over 220 miles per hour with zero-to-sixty mph taking just over four seconds. The chassis was made of aluminum-honeycomb with aluminum and composite bodywork. The vehicle measured over eight feet wide and sixteen feet long with total weight of 3,500 pounds.

The Jaguar and TWR union resulted in another win at Le Mans, this time in 1993 in the GT category in their first time out.

This Jaguar XJ220 was formerly in a very prominent European car collection, who had strong ties with the Jaguar factory. It was purchased from an owner in Connecticut who imported it to the United States and assumed all the fees and duties necessary to carry out EPA test work, allowing it to be road registered in the United States.

The car currently shows just 5,360 kilometers. It is finished in silver with a grey interior. In total, there were less than 300 XJ220s ever assembled during the short production run that began in 1992.

In 2009, this Jaguar XJ220 was offered for sale at the Automobiles of Arizona auction presented by RM Auctions. It was estimated to sell for $175,000 - $225,000. The lot was sold for a high bid of $154,000 including buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2012