GTP Cool Wall : XJ220

[McLaren]

lol, the XJ220 is vastly superior to the XJR15 in terms of performance.

Really? Because it propelled to 60 in 3.1 seconds, and unlike the XJ220, Jaguar was actually very smart in thoroughly testing the engine before putting the car into production.

The only issue with it was the insanely large MSRP & the fact that with only 50 produced, it was very well over shadowed by the XJ220's hyped up V12.

Stotty: The XJ220 was actually the cheaper one. The XJR15 being essentially a race car, was MSRP'd around $960,000. The XJ220 was originally $580K, but was bumped up to $650,000, which did not please buyers when they discovered their future car came with a TT V6 instead of the V12.

 

[Stotty]

I was sure the XJR15 was massively cheaper than the XJ220 in the UK.

Edit: Done some digging...

XJR15 cost £500,000, but that included full race preparation and backup for the race series supporting 3 rounds of the F1 Championship at Monaco, Spa and Silverstone... with a $1 million prize fund.

Xj220 cost £290,000

So, yes you're right.

Performance wise, the XJR would more than keep up with the XJ220 except on top speed. It may have been down almost 100bhp (450 vs 540 for the XJ220), but it only weighed 1,050kg (vs 1,470).

And the XJR is rarer... only 50 made.

 

[McLaren]

I was sure the XJR15 was massively cheaper than the XJ220 in the UK.

The XJ220's final delivery of price was £403,000 compared to the XJR-15's £747,235 (I believe that's the correct conversion from $960,165).

 

[Venom800tt]

Hmm, I did not know the XJR-15 was THAT quick. I always had the impression that the XJ220 was faster overall, at least going by what few road test articles I could find on the car.

 

[Famine]

As I said, the XJ220 only had its top speed as a headline figure - with a "small" six cylinder engine wearing some giant turbos, it didn't get to any of the other figures in-between at any hurry compared to its peers.

Everything else was quicker. Only the XJ220 was faster - for a whole 2 years until the McLaren F1 destroyed it, while also being quicker from any speed to any other speed and better handling.

 

[TheCracker]

The XJR-15 was never officially sold as a road car. It was a Jaguar XJR-9 civilized just enough for it to be road legal. Comparing it to the XJ220, which was designed solely as a road car and was relatively comfortable and very useable at low speeds, is a little unfair.

 

[BayConRong]

Aw, why can't we see who voted for what?

I think it's cool. It's ugly as sin but it has some respectable specs and has some history.

 

[Famine]

The XJR-15 was never officially sold as a road car. It was a Jaguar XJR-9 civilized just enough for it to be road legal. Comparing it to the XJ220, which was designed solely as a road car and was relatively comfortable and very useable at low speeds, is a little unfair.

And the XJR-15 was a disastrously-handling PoS. But, actually having a V12, it stole sales from XJ220 orders (once customers had bought themselves out of their order contract and still wanted a Jaguar after taking the company to court).

Nevertheless the XJ220 was the wrong car with the wrong parts sold at the wrong time by the wrong company. And the default position of supercars is "uncool" - never mind a slow, ugly, 6-pot supercar.


Though I actually like it, no number of turbos can help it outrun uncool.

 

[-ultraflow-]

Sub Zero

 

[Jim Prower]

This one's so cold, i could keep my Cold Ones nice and fresh in it. Ice Box.

 

[Tornado]

I'd say a 217 mph top speed and a 3.6 sec 0-60 time is pretty damn impressive for its time.

217 with more horespower and a raised redline compared to the car that was actually sold. In actuality, it was barely any faster than some Porsche from the 80s. It also handled worse, was put together more cheaply (Escort tailights!), had a less desirable engine, was slower accelerating and cost considerably more (or some combination of the above) than much of its competition at the time. It also came out the same year that the McLaren F1 did.


All that being said, I still love it, so I said Cool.

 

[Stotty]

217 with more horespower and a raised redline compared to the car that was actually sold.

Exactly... 542 bhp and >1400kg weight does not = 217 mph!

Edit: it's been a long week!

 

[Jim Prower]

You mean MPH.

 

[Dragonistic]

Why is this decending into a good car/bad car discussion, this is about how cool it is and numbers are rarely cool, fantastic handling isn't cool. It's all about the image, the style, the rarity. This is why I picked it, it isn't a great car in terms of specs and mechanics but it's still outrageously cool in my opinion, but I knew opinions would be split.

 

[Famine]

Why is this decending into a good car/bad car discussion, this is about how cool it is and numbers are rarely cool, fantastic handling isn't cool. It's all about the image, the style, the rarity. This is why I picked it, it isn't a great car in terms of specs and mechanics but it's still outrageously cool in my opinion, but I knew opinions would be split.

As I said in my first salvo...

You know... no.

It was late to the supercar party - by which time the wave had definitely crested - relying only on headlining figures (which, contrary to the opening post, was 217mph) despite being outclassed by all its peers in every other department.

To make matters worse, the car that everyone bought - the TWR 6.2 litre V12 - was changed after orders were placed to the Cosworth 3.5 litre twin turbo V6 (again, contrary to the opening post) - essentially a bored version of the Rover Metro 6R4 engine. Not to mention all the other parts they borrowed from anything they could find. And then they put the price up. And then the McLaren F1 destroyed the one thing it had over the others.

But it is beautiful. So long as you don't look square at the back.


So we have a pretty, rare, hopelessly outclassed, parts-bin car with a Metro engine. Uncool.

Bear in mind that I like the XJ220.

 

[dylansan]

I don't care if they used all the "wrong" parts. It certainly looks like they put them together right.
Voted sub-zero out of sheer beauty (in my opinion of course) and the fact that it looks good in purple.

Sorry Famine and others, but I wouldn't use so many facts to decide whether this car is cool. If you pull up to the curb in one of these car's there's a very slim chance that someone will say, "That's not very cool; it only held a speed record for a few years and it actually wasn't as quick as other supercars of the time." With some prior knowledge they might say, "That car is made out of lousy parts from a bunch of different cars," so I see your point.

Obviously you already voted, and your opinion makes sense, but I just wanted to point out that not everyone has a vast encyclopedia of knowledge squashed into their brain (though some have Wikipedia on their phone).

EDIT: And I like the back end too.

 

[Tornado]

If you pull up to the curb in one of these car's there's a very slim chance that someone will say, "That's not very cool; it only held a speed record for a few years and it actually wasn't as quick as other supercars of the time."

Nope. They'd say "Dude, why does your car sound like a Camry?"

 

[Famine]

Voted sub-zero out of sheer beauty (in my opinion of course) and the fact that it looks good in purple.

Everything looks good in purple...

 

[Jim Prower]

I beg to differ. I hate the Midnight Purple GT-Rs.

 

[dylansan]

Everything looks good in purple...

I couldn't stand to look at, say, a Ferrari Enzo in any shade of purple. Or a classic Fiat 500. Or a Toyota Corolla, etc.

The XJ220 is one of the few cars that looks like it was designed specifically to hold purple shades of paint. But you are almost right; a lot of things could look good in purple, but the XJ220 stands out to me.

 

[EA11R]

There's a Prizm (Read: Corolla) painted purple at my school. It looks awwwwwwwright.

Mid-nineties Camaroes, though, look hideous in purple. Or pink. There's a house in my town that owns one of each. Metallic. Can you help us lynch them?

On Topic: The car has a cool shape, but no style. It would, thus, only look good at night, when its bad-looking headlights show. This is like the F40, but mugh more boring. What is wrong with you people?

You have no sense of style.

 

[Famine]

*Famine wonders if the joke with me saying everything looks good in purple was a bit too subtle*

 

[homeforsummer]

I couldn't stand to look at, say, a Ferrari Enzo in any shade of purple. Or a classic Fiat 500. Or a Toyota Corolla, etc.

Looks good to me

*Famine wonders if the joke with me saying everything looks good in purple was a bit too subtle*

I fear it might have been...

 

[Jim Prower]

*Famine wonders if the joke with me saying everything looks good in purple was a bit too subtle*

Humor doesn't work on the internet. Sorry.

 

[Stevisiov]

Exactly... 542 bhp and >1400kg weight does not = 217 mph!

Edit: it's been a long week!

Weight has no effect on top speed, your right though despite the fact that it looks sleek, 542bhp is too little to hit 217mph.

I have always considered the XJ220 as extremely cool, purely for its looks and size, its very long and low like a supercar should be. Despite this it looks sleek and refined rather than crazy and ostentatious.

 

[Sureboss]

So two cars, exact same specs, one weighs 2 tonnes one weighs 1 tonne, yet they both have the same top speed? It must do.

 

[Stevisiov]

So two cars, exact same specs, one weighs 2 tonnes one weighs 1 tonne, yet they both have the same top speed? It must do.

Yes.

However one will take a good deal longer to reach its top speed due to all the extra mass it has to accelerate.

 

[Famine]

To within a couple of miles per hour or so. Weight is a factor, just not much of one.

My fag-packet calculation says that, at 217mph, an extra tonne requires about 30hp - or, if it were a tonne lighter, the XJ220 could do 219mph.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

It's unusual to see so many people disagreeing with Famine! But I think he's pretty much on the mark, even if there are very few people who really think of a 6R4 as a mere Metro!

The XJ220 was, in development terms, a day late and a dollar short. Buyers looked at its achingly gorgeous shape and completely failed to understand that it was vapourware. That the economy crashed and took supercars with it was unfortunate.

When thinking of its credentials, ask yourself this: which 1980s parts-bin-special supercar is first into your mind? If you're thinking anything other than an F40, you're a bit odd. The XK220 was pretty, quite well made, but slow (apart from on Mulsanne) and rubbish to drive. The F40 was none of these.

Venom800tt, the XJ220's Le Mans disqualification had at least as much to do with the Venturi behind it at the chequer as its own exhausts...

 

[Tornado]

if you're thinking anything other than an f40, you're a bit odd.

959?