With the help of TWR, Jaguar had once again become a prominent force in international sports car racing during the second half of the 1980s. The various TWR developed 'XJR' racers added two Le Mans victories and several world championships to Jaguar's already well filled prize cabinet. To celebrate the success, Jaguar introduced the road going XJ220 super car, which incorporated some of the technology that brought so much success on the track. TWR had also been involved with the road car development and later turned the XJ220 into racer as well. For homologation purposes they also built six examples of the XJ220S. Like the competition car, it also featured a carbon fibre body and large rear wing. The reworked V6 engine produced around 670 bhp. One of these very potent machines, chassis 784 will be offered tomorrow by RM Auctions during the first of their two-day Scottsdale sale. With a pre-sale estimate of 'just' $225,000 - $300,000, it certainly looks like a very interesting proposition.
The V6 used in the XJ220 production car was derived from the XJR-11 that first hit the track halfway through the 1989 World Championship. Compared to the highly successful V12-engined cars previously used by JaguarSport, the XJR-11 was both lighter and more compact. Like its predecessors, it featured a full carbon fibre chassis with intricate ground effect aerodynamics. Unfortunately, the very quick car was often let down by poor reliability. Rule changes rendered it obsolete at the start of 1991 when it was replaced by the F1-inspired XJR-14, which may also explain why it received limited development. In recent years we have captured one of the three examples both on track and in great detail as can be seen in this 18-shot gallery.
Enjoy the links:
1993 - 1994 Jaguar XJ220S - Images, Specifications and Information
1989 - 1990 Jaguar XJR-11 - Images, Specifications and Information
2011 Ferrari 458 Italia GT3 - Images, Specifications and Information
1993 - 1994 Jaguar XJ220C - Images, Specifications and Information
1992 - 1994 Jaguar XJ220 - Images, Specifications and Information
1988 Jaguar XJ220 Prototype - Images, Specifications and Information
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Originally Posted by Cobrafan427
