The Jaguar XJ220 is special because it remains one of the fastest, rarest and most visually dramatic road cars ever produced in Britain. At Jaguars at Oulton Park, visitors had the unusual opportunity to see five XJ220s together, with one example representing every colour in which the car was made.
Jaguar originally revealed the XJ220 concept at the 1988 British International Motor Show. The concept proposed a V12 engine and four wheel drive, but the production car used a lighter and more compact 3.5 litre twin turbocharged V6.
The production engine developed approximately 542 bhp. Jaguar recorded a top speed of 217 mph during testing at the Nardò circuit in Italy, making the XJ220 one of the fastest production cars in the world at the time.
Only 281 production examples were completed between 1992 and 1994. That limited production run means seeing one Jaguar XJ220 on the road or at a car show is unusual. Finding five together at Oulton Park was therefore one of the defining sights of the Cheshire Cats event.
Its shape is also a major part of its appeal. The XJ220 is exceptionally long, low and wide, with flowing bodywork that still looks futuristic more than three decades after production began.
For me, the Jaguar XJ220 also brings back memories of playing the game of the same name on the Commodore Amiga 500. Games and magazines helped make cars like the XJ220 feel almost mythical at a time when there was no immediate access to online video or social media.
Seeing five real Jaguar XJ220s at Oulton Park proved that meeting a motoring hero does not necessarily end in disappointment. The car’s proportions, rarity and presence are even more striking when experienced in person.
The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust’s history of the XJ220 provides more information about the development of the production car.
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