Jaguar XJ220

This article explains the Jaguar XJ220 supercar; for the computer game of the same name, see Jaguar XJ220 (computer game) .

jaguar
XJ220
Production period:	1992-1994
Class :	Sports car
Body versions :	Coupe
Engines:	Otto engine : 3.5 liters (404 kW)
Length:	4930 mm
Width:	2220 mm
Height:	1140 mm
Wheelbase :	2640 mm
Empty weight :	1470 kg

The Jaguar XJ220 is a supercar from the British car brand Jaguar , which at the time was owned by the American Ford Motor Company . From 1992 to 1994, 275 units of the exclusive vehicle developed from the brand's racing prototypes were built.

origin

Around Jaguar's chief engineer Jim Randle, shortly after Jaguar's privatization, the "Saturday Club" was formed, a loosely organized group of company employees who met after work to create a Jaguar that would match the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 . They used the construction of the XJR-9 , which Tom Walkinshaw Racing created for the sports car world championship and which had won the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1988. It was supposed to be the fastest road legal vehicle. The goal was 220 mph (354 km / h), which, as has often been the case in the history of Jaguar sports cars, explained the numbers in the name.

The study

The project received executive support and a first prototype was designed for the 1988 British Motor Show. The engine was taken over by Tom Walkinshaw Racing, a 6.2 liter V12. The all-wheel drive was commissioned from FF Developments. This company had already given the Jensen FF all-wheel drive; its owner Tony Rolt had a glorious time with Jaguar racing cars in the 1950s.

The car was officially announced in 1989, and despite a sales price of £ 413,000 (which was more than DM 1 million at the time), there were buyers willing to pay down £ 50,000 immediately. Jaguar stated that only 350 units should be built and received 1500 orders in a few days.

The series

The project was handed over to the JaguarSport joint venture founded by Jaguar and TWR (Tom Walkinshaw Racing) , where a small series of the XJ220 was to be developed. JaguarSport completely redesigned the car, shortened the chassis, removed the all-wheel drive and replaced the V12 with a V6 twin-turbo racing engine from TWR with 3.5 liters displacement, this V6 on the MG Metro 6R4 used in Group B rallying based. The XJ220 V6 was ultimately much shorter and lighter than the original XJ220, but otherwise retained the basic structure. The two-seater body was richly equipped, including air conditioning . The car weighed 1470 kg. However, due to the massive changes and the speculative bubble on the car market that had burst in the meantime, a number of customers withdrew from the purchase and even waived their down payment.

In 1990/1991 a new factory hall was built in Bloxham near Banbury , and seven prototypes were produced as part of the development phase. The first copies should be delivered in the spring of 1992, and production ended in 1994. The British specialist company Abbey Panels took over the production of the bodies . The first deliveries took place in July 1992. The first customers included the musician Elton John and Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, known as a car collector .

During test drives in 1991 Andy Wallace reached a top speed of 212.3 mph (341.6 km / h) on the Firestone test track from Fort Stockton , Texas , and in later tests in 1992 on the high-speed track in Nardò (southern Italy), another pre-production model with an expanded one exceeded it Catalytic converter and increased rev limiter brought the previously achieved top speed of 217.1 mph (349.4 km / h) close to the targeted 220 mph.

To boost sales, three XJ 220 competed in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1993 . One of the cars won in its class, but all three were subsequently disqualified because they (like other competitors who were not bothered about it) drove without the catalytic converter, which is now mandatory.

In addition to the production version, there were also some special variants of the XJ220. For example, the Sultan of Brunei had his Jaguar redesigned at Pininfarina (including the front with different headlights). Technically everything remained that cannot be said of the roadworthy racing version called XJ220 S. The engine was modified so that it developed just over 500 kW (680 hp). According to the TWR company that carried out the modifications, this should be good for around 370 km / h. Of course, the five copies produced also included aerodynamic measures, such as: B. fixed headlights and other front and rear aprons including a large rear wing .

In September 2016, Bridgestone announced that it would develop new tires for the XJ220 as the original tire size is no longer available.

Technical data (factory information)

	Jaguar XJ220
Motor type	V6 biturbo gasoline engine
Mounting position	Center lengthways
Valves / camshafts	4 per cylinder / 4
Displacement	3498 cc
Bore × stroke	94.0 x 84.0 mm
Maximum power	404 kW (549 hp) at 7000 rpm
Max. Torque	642 Nm at 4500 rpm
Power transmission
drive	Rear wheel
transmission	5-speed manual
Dimensions
Length × width × height	4930 mm × 2220 mm × 1140 mm
wheelbase	2640 mm
Empty weight	1470 kg
Payload	179 kg
Performance
0-100 km / h	3.8 s
0-200 km / h	12.0 s
Top speed	342 km / h (213 mph)
Consumption per 100 km	18.3 l
Tank volume	90 l
price
Base price (Germany)	1,000,000 German marks

literature

• Halwart Schrader: Jaguar type compass - passenger cars since 1931. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-613-02106-4 .
• Heiner Stertkamp: Jaguar - The complete chronicle from 1922 to today. Heel-Verlag 2006, ISBN 3-89880-337-6 .

Web links

Commons : Jaguar XJ220  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Pictures of the XJ 220 S at Supercars.net
• Pictures of the XJ 220 Pininfarina at Supercars.net

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://newsroom.jaguarlandrover.com/en-in/jaguar/news/2012/01/jag_xj220_20th_anniv_300112/
2. ↑ History of Abbey Panels on the website of the parent company Loades Plc (accessed on October 13, 2019).
3. ↑ Jaguar XJ220 - 20th anniversary  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Motorvision.de, December 7, 2012  
4. ↑ http://www.topgear.com/car-news/jaguar-xj220-turns-20
5. ↑ Gavin Green: 217mph! (PDF). In: Car , August 1992. Retrieved May 3, 2018. 
6. ↑ Bridgestone developing new tires for Jaguar XJ220. September 8, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016 (American English).