Photo: Canepa
Many rare car families were created here in the States, but the Europeans had their share of extraordinary machines over the years too. The Jaguar XJ220 certainly deserves a spot at the top of this list.
The two-seater sports car was cooked up together with race engineering company Tom Walkinshaw with a single goal in mind: take on the giants of the era, the Ferrari F40, and the Porsche 959. And it stood up to them quite well, having run the Nardo track at speeds of 212.3 mph (341.7 kph), and lapping the Nürburgring in just 7:46.36 minutes.
For a brief period, in 1992 and 1993, the XJ220 was the fastest production car money could buy. But that didn't mean people were flocking to get one, so the model was produced in limited numbers. Jaguar made just 281 of them, and that was significantly lower than the 350 units run originally planned for it.
The fact that so few of them ended up being assembled makes the model a real collectible, and every time one pops up, it’s sure to catch the eye. This one, which we uncovered sitting on the lot of Canepa, sure did.
This particular car is number 237 as it was produced in 1993. It spent a good portion of its life in Europe, where for a number of reasons was never registered, and it then managed to reach American shores in 2001 as a show and display machine. And it is still unregistered.
Showing just 1,667 miles of use (2,682 km), the car packs the original looks and, most importantly, the same engine it once had on. We’re talking about the Tom Walkinshaw-engineered 3.5-liter V6, rated back in the day at 542 hp (550 PS) and 476 lb-ft (644 Nm) of torque.
We are not told how much the XJ220 is going for, but the vendor says that service records, owners handbook, tool kit, first aid kit, parts, and service manuals are thrown in the mix.
For a brief period, in 1992 and 1993, the XJ220 was the fastest production car money could buy. But that didn't mean people were flocking to get one, so the model was produced in limited numbers. Jaguar made just 281 of them, and that was significantly lower than the 350 units run originally planned for it.
The fact that so few of them ended up being assembled makes the model a real collectible, and every time one pops up, it’s sure to catch the eye. This one, which we uncovered sitting on the lot of Canepa, sure did.
This particular car is number 237 as it was produced in 1993. It spent a good portion of its life in Europe, where for a number of reasons was never registered, and it then managed to reach American shores in 2001 as a show and display machine. And it is still unregistered.
Showing just 1,667 miles of use (2,682 km), the car packs the original looks and, most importantly, the same engine it once had on. We’re talking about the Tom Walkinshaw-engineered 3.5-liter V6, rated back in the day at 542 hp (550 PS) and 476 lb-ft (644 Nm) of torque.
We are not told how much the XJ220 is going for, but the vendor says that service records, owners handbook, tool kit, first aid kit, parts, and service manuals are thrown in the mix.
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