680bhp.
That’s a whole lot of horsepower even in 2023 where only the fastest and most powerful supercars have more.
Now imagine 680bhp back in the mid-1990s. This is what the Jaguar XJ220S brought to the table back then. 680bhp must’ve been an almost inconceivable figure for a road car.
Considering that the standard XJ220 was not exactly slow, the XJ220S having approximately 140 extra horsepower elevated to the status of genuine hypercar.
The standard XJ220 is a strange beast. For a long, long time it was stuck in this kind of limbo between greatness and still being somewhat of a disappointment compared to the original concept revealed in 1988. What the XJ1220S offered is the chance of salvation and to demonstrate the true potential of using a turbo-charged engine versus a larger naturally aspirated V12.
In pure mechanical terms, the standard XJ220 was a perfect base. It was very fast; far more agile than it looked; and with a focus on luxury, meant there was a lot to be gained with stripping the weight out of it.
So that’s exactly what Tom Walkinshaw Racing did.
Jeremy Clarkson described the XJ220S as an XJ220 “that’s been breathed on. By a dragon. That had chili for dinner last night.” Changes were extensive with the primary goal of stripping weight from the standard XJ220. The aluminium body panels were swapped for CFRP front and rear clamshells and the interior was stripped of niceties. The front headlight units with their electric covers were replaced by standard lights and the rear bodywork gained additional cooling vents and a large fixed rear wing.
The result of all this weight reduction was nearly 400kg trimmed from the standard XJ220. The next logical step was to increase horsepower from 542bhp to 680bhp. The XJ220S was an animal.
What makes the XJ220S so charming is that it has two personalities. On the one hand you have an XJ220S that is not being used in anger. Even with more extreme aerodynamic aids, the XJ220S still retains this pleasingly simple aesthetic. It’s all curved edges and can even look docile from certain angles which is a testament to the original XJ220’s design that hints and performance potential whilst not shouting about it. This docility is reinforced by the fact the XJ220S’ 3.5 Litre twin-turbocharged V6 sounds like a Mk2 Ford Transit when idling.
The other half of the XJ220S’ personality is when its twin-turbochargers have been summoned and it simply disappears. 680bhp remains enough to challenge even the stoutest high performance tyre, and, lacking any traction control, the XJ220S will still struggle to get power down until the ends of its days.
Until then, we’ll always salute the XJ220S – a mad, bad machine that cements the Jaguar XJ220’s legend.
Kerbside 