Latest news
-
It's official: welcome to the Jaguar F-Type
Get ready for a very cool, very important and very small big cat…
It's here: the Jaguar F-Type -
India Special Part 7 - The Party
To promote British products and cuisine, TG hosts a gaggle of prominent Indian businessmen. But it doesn't go to plan; in fact, it fails, rather embarrassingly.
Watch video -
India Special Part 7 - The Party
To promote British products and cuisine, TG hosts a gaggle of prominent Indian businessmen. But it doesn't go to plan; in fact, it fails, rather embarrassingly.
Watch video -
India Special Part 6 - Marching into Delhi
The boys journey to one of India's most swollen and buzzing cities, Delhi. Which includes driving at night, a feat not recommended for those vulnerable to cardiac arrest.
Watch video -
India Special Part 9 - The end of the journey
Jeremy, Richard and James camp among the towering Himalayas. The next day, they play a spot of Straight Six Cricket with some locals, before reflecting upon their time in majestic India.
Watch video -
India Special Part 8 - The boys gallivanting across India
Watch the boys road trip across India in an effort to save the British economy. Which includes sabotaging James’s Rolls Royce.
Watch video -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
In case you forgot to add it to your diary in 1992, 2012 is the 20th anniversary of fastest Jaguar ever produced - the XJ220.
Conceived by an informal group called "The Saturday Club", Jaguar's chief engineer Jim Randle wanted to make a Jaguar that could beat the supercars of the time, the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959.
Like the C-X75, the XJ220 was only meant to be a demonstration of what could be done if Jag switched its cerebrum on, built for the British Motor Show at Birmingham in 1988. When the covers were pulled off everyone loved it, so Jim Randle started scratching his head to see if a production XJ220 could work.
It could... but there were some prerequisites. It had to lose its 390kW 48-valve V12 engine, 4WD system and Lambo-esque scissor doors featured on the concept. This left half the engine (a twin-turbo V6 from a Rover Metro) and half the powered wheel. But the determination to hit 354km/h endured.
PUB AMMO ALERT the XJ220 is completely separate from the XJ range but the "220" is a reference to the targeted top speed of 220mph, or 354km/h.
A total of 281 XJ220s were hand-built in Bloxham, Oxfordshire and they came with a hefty $700,000 price tag. This meant that only really rather rich people could get their hands on one... like Flamboyant glasses enthusiast, Elton John.
MORE PUB AMMO ALERT, Elton was the 57th customer to order an XJ220 and once, when returning from tennis, clipped some roadworks cones in it.
In 1992 Jaguar took the XJ220 to Nardo - the very same, very scary ring that the boys visited in last week's show. With Martin Brundle at the wheel (we can't confirm if he wore his jingle-jangle necklace) the plan was to go fast. Really fast.
Initially the car hit 341.6km/h but then Jag decided to throw out the cats and increase the rev limiter in an effort to beat the wind. The result was 349.4km/h; if it had been a straight road it would have nudged 354km/h - or 220mph, the XJ220's fabled target. Job done.
The mighty Jaaaaaaag held the record for the highest top speed of a production car until 1994; McLaren's F1 trounced it with a 390.99km/h top whack.
Open your Facebooks, then hit like if you dig the 220. Now click on for more pics. -
The Jaguar XJ220 turns 20
Put on your party hat - it’s the fastest-production-Jag-in-history’s birthday
Search news
Advertisement
Advertisement
Open Car Bar