Jaguar Cars was founded in 1922. Since then, the company has produced unique cars that are not like all other brands in design and internal filling. Although the company produces its entire lineup in series, their cars can safely be called exclusive. This article will discuss one of the best products of the company. This is definitely the Jaguar XJ220.
Predecessor
The history of the described model is quite rich. XJ220 was built on the basis of the rare sports car XK120. It was produced by the company from 1948 to 1954. Now it’s hard to believe in comparing both cars. At one time, the XK120 was a real breakthrough in the field of sports car manufacturing for public roads. The maximum speed of the car was 200 km / h. A 6-cylinder engine was installed under the hood. He accelerated the XK120 to 100 km / h in just 10 seconds. The model was produced in three body styles: coupe, roadster and convertible. The car received the title of the fastest production car.
Model history
Jaguar XJ220 became the successor to such a legendary and iconic vehicle. In 1991, the company decided to restore the line of exclusive sports coupes. The model became the first official British supercar. The leadership of the company came up with the idea of creating such a car after the release of Porsche 959. The German supercar boasted all-wheel drive and very outstanding performance, which soon led the car to numerous victories. In 1984, Jaguar engineers thought about creating their own analogue to the 959th.
The first version of the supercar was introduced after 4 years. At that time, the entire automotive community called the XJ the car of the future. But in the serial version, everything was not so rosy - the development budget did not allow to produce a futuristic design in full. Therefore, the final version was somewhat more modest, in terms of appearance. But in terms of technical indicators, the company did everything as intended.
The Jaguar XJ220 was originally built for racing at Le Mans. And only secondarily was it intended for mass production. This explains the rarity of the car. It is almost impossible to meet him even on the roads of large cities abroad. Supercar went only to collectors and museums. Jaguar XJ220, whose price reached more than 400 thousand pounds, is still the most expensive production car of the company.
Appearance
XJ220 even today looks very stylish and modern. There is nothing superfluous in its design. It may seem that it is completely streamlined, because, except for the rear-view mirrors, not a single element of the body stands out from the general picture of smoothness. Similar in design can be called the Lamborghini Diablo. Only the Italian stallion is sharper and more “evil”. On the XJ220, all lines, on the contrary, are clearly aligned and brought to their logical conclusion. Many critics and car designers still consider the supercar a reference to style. It is the appearance that the car owes a lot to its sky-high price.
Specifications
The most interesting thing about this coupe inside is under the hood, or rather, in the rear of the body. At the time of the release of the supercar in the series, it was equipped with the most powerful engine. 3.5 liters and 540 horsepower accelerated the "capsule" to 100 km / h in 3.9 seconds. Even today, not many sports coupes can boast of such results. The maximum speed of the car reaches 352 km / h. And fuel consumption at the same time stopped at around 28 liters per 100 kilometers.
It is impossible to give accurate predictions whether a new Jaguar will appear (XJ220 may become its successor) or not. After all, the company is quite unpredictable. About 40 years have passed between the release of the XK120 and XJ220. It is possible that the situation will happen again. Although at the moment, Jaguar has plunged headlong into the production of mass-produced city cars.