The XJ220 claims a unique position among the handful of powerful supercars that emerged in the late 1980s. More luxurious and timelessly styled than some of the no-frills wedge designs of the period, the model began as the dream of Jaguar’s director of product engineering, Jim Randall, who wanted to field a car similar to Porsche’s 959. Jaguar Design’s Keith Heflet penned the gorgeous low-slung bodywork, whilst engineering focused on integrating a 48-valve racing V-12 developed by Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR).

Debuting to great acclaim at the 1988 Birmingham Motor Show, the prototype XJ220 was approved for production after customer interest skyrocketed. With the Coventry factory at capacity, JaguarSport, a racing concern co-owned by the manufacturer and TWR, was assigned the task of transforming the gargantuan show car into a tractable production model. Exchanging the original V-12 for a turbocharged V-6 that had been successful in the XJR-10 and 11 race cars, the development team was able to shorten the wheelbase by eight inches.

After suspension work at the Nürburgring, where the model set a lap record, and the appointment of a sumptuous interior styled by Nick Hull, the XJ220 began making deliveries in 1992. Five hundred forty-two horsepower and 475 foot-pounds of torque, performance numbers that favourably compare with many of today’s fastest cars, gave the XJ220 awesome power, quicker to 60 mph and faster (217 mph!) than both the Ferrari F40 and the Lamborghini Diablo.

Finished in Le Mans Blue, this beautiful XJ220 benefits from a gentle life of minimal use by just one owner, the consignor. Currently displaying only 961 kilometres, this flagship supercar offers showroom cosmetic quality and mechanical condition, and it is surely one of the most finely preserved examples of the celebrated model available today. It is a rare example of Jaguar’s fastest street machine, and it would make a magical addition to any collection of modern performance cars.