Words Carlo Brema / Photos Jaguar
The Jaguar supercar was born in a difficult moment, just think that it had to contend with rivals such as Ferrari F40, Porsche 959 and Bugatti EB110. Difficult because it had to do better and at the same time bring the Jaguar name back on top. It all began thanks to “theSaturdayClub”: a representative name given to the team of engineers and technicians working on the creation of the first prototype already named XJ220, an acronym that recalled the XK120 released forty years earlier and that – like that very car – suggested its top speed achievable in miles per hour. Or at least it should, since it then reached “only” 213 mph.
We are between 1980 and 1992 (the year of the debut of this model) and at the head of Jaguar we find John Egan, who has recently received the task of demonstrating the capabilities of the brand to the whole world. On another front, Jim Randle sits as the head of the engineering department and is the one who succeeds in recruiting twelve people willing to work during their spare time and above all for free. That’s exactly how the project of the then fastest car in the world comes to life. With the closest opponents in mind, the technical conformation began to be outlined, which immediately included a powerful V12 associated with four-wheel drive: a solution designed to make such a monster more usable, even on the frequently wet roads of England.
Tom Walkinshaw Racing, like its homonymous founder, immediately became a fundamental partner, as an old acquaintance of the company and co-author of numerous successes obtained in the ETCC with the XJR-S (but not only). For this reason, the first idea was to repeat the adventure by participating in Le Mans with a new racing model. Randle, disagreeing, followed the idea that his mind had set for itself: to produce a very high-performance British road car. This amazing car appeared to the public almost suddenly and following enormous efforts, at the 1988 Birmingham Motorshow, as an official prototype; the frenetic and incredible work of the team impressed Egan, who thus officially endorsed the idea. Those who attended the presentation discovered that beneath the sensual line there was a 6.2-liter V12, a reinterpretation of the 1960s design by Walter Hassan (designer of the equally famous Coventry Climax) and developed by Cosworth for racing in 1986.
Having proved to be very powerful, however, the need to adopt a specific engine for road use and with acceptable emissions demonstrated the anti-economy of the project just as quickly. Not surprisingly, the choice fell on the 3.5-liter V6, taken directly from the MG Metro 6R4, the famous ‘Group B’ racer. Solution that, at least in initial intentions, inspired the aerodynamics and set-up for the XJ220: credited at about 1,360 kg of downforce at 220 miles per hour. For this purpose, the prototype was equipped with active aerodynamics and electronically controlled suspension, in order to combine downforce-car skills with those of a fast GT. The main problem, which was never circumvented, was the tires. Which ones would have stood that load at that speed? The design, incredibly almost unchanged compared to the prototype, is the work of Keith Helfet, a designer who found a useful inspiration to speed up the construction process through the beautiful bodywork of the XJ13 designed by Malcolm Sayer: a genius inextricably linked to the Coventry brand.
Jaguar engineers refined the original V6 unit, eventually credited with 550 hp and 645 Nm respectively delivered at 7,200 and 4,500 rpm. The new engine and rear-wheel drive were part of a compromise perhaps less exotic but lighter, more powerful and quicker than the first presented in 1988. The ground effect was maintained (the first street legal car to exploit it), with rear extractor and movable wing, but rear-wheel steering and adaptive suspension were eliminated, helping to make the big Jaguar difficult to drive. The disappointment created as a result of the broken promises, could not compensate for the incredible data achieved at the performance box. Touching one hundred kilometers per hour from standstill in 3.7 seconds, reaching 342 kph of top speed and relatively below-average emissions were not enough to avoid the Jaguar XJ220 to become a largely failed promise. Nonetheless, it still remains one of the most exotic and representative models ever made. A work of art on wheels that has upset adversity and crystallized the image of that fabulous analog decade, so close to transforming itself forever in the years to come.