As the curtain fell at the 1988 British International Motor Show in Birmingham and the long, low and beautifully sculpted shape of the Jaguar XJ220 was first revealed to the public, jaws hit the floor. Unlike anything that had come before, the missile-like XJ220 stole the limelight first for its incredible looks, and then for its spectacular specification. Jaguar’s first supercar boasted no fewer than 6.2 litres, 12 cylinders, and four driven wheels—the sort of world-beating technology more associated with Maranello and Sant’Agata than Wykham Mill. Big Cat fever understandably swept the show halls, and within an hour some 1,500 people had placed a pre-order for the new car, each laying down a £50,000 deposit to secure their production slot. It wasn’t just the public that went XJ220 crazy—pop stars Elton John and Rod Stewart also placed early orders for the new supercar.

A relatively long gestation period coupled with a global economic recession dampened enthusiasm, and hundreds of would-be owners attempted to renege on the deal and get back their deposits. Understandably, when you consider how much the final production car had veered from the initial prototype revealed in 1988; by the time the car was ready for delivery it had lost half its cylinders, almost half its capacity, and two driven wheels, not to mention its anti-lock brakes, power steering, and scissor-style doors. But despite a change in specification headlined by the substitution of 6.2-litre V-12 with 3.5-litre all-alloy V-6, JaguarSport engineers managed to far exceed the initial technical brief. The new car was capable of reaching 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds—quicker than the Ferrari F40, Porsche 959, and Lamborghini Diablo—while its headline top speed of 213 mph made it, until the arrival of the McLaren F1, the fastest production car the world had ever seen.

Fewer than 300 of these special cars were built, among them chassis 220737, which left JaguarSport’s manufacturing facility on 10 May 1993 finished in Spa Silver over a Smoke Grey leather interior.

In 2017 the car was sent to model specialist Don Law, where it received £38,205.50-worth of recommissioning work. The steering rack was stripped and seized joints repaired, the front and rear hubs were dismantled and fettled, with new seals, rose joints, and thrust washers, repacked bearings, and a new track rod end. The cylinder heads were removed and de-coked with new head gaskets installed, the interior was thoroughly cleaned, and the exterior treated to a machine polish. Finally, a brand-new set of Bridgestone tyres was fitted. At the time of cataloguing, the odometer was noted as reading 46 miles and this XJ220 was found to retain its matching-numbers engine.

This remarkable supercar is accompanied by a leather folio, Sales and Service Book, Owner’s Manual, spare keys and remote fob, Audio System Book, and a Service and Warranty Book.