For Sale at Auction: 1993 Jaguar XJ in Amelia Island, Florida

Chassis No. SAJJEAEX8AX220735

Exceptionally rare, immensely powerful, and wearing a sculptural body, the Jaguar XJ220 fully embraces the very definition of a supercar.

In the late 1980s, nearly every major performance car manufacturer was locked in an intense race to create the ultimate 200-mile-per-hour supercar. Porsche set the benchmark in 1986 with the technologically advanced 959, with a top speed of 197 mph, soon followed by Ferrari's F40, which raised the stakes with a claimed 201 mph. At the same time, anticipation grew around Bugatti's forthcoming EB110, announced at the dawn of the 1990s and rumored to exceed 210 mph. It was within this fiercely competitive landscape that the Jaguar XJ220 emerged. Its name stands for eXperimental Jaguar, while "220" boldly signaled a targeted 220 mph top speed, deliberately echoing the legendary XK120, which four decades earlier had stunned the world by reaching 120 mph.

It was imagined and brought to life by a small group of a dozen specialist engineers and designers who worked voluntarily, dedicating their own time and passion to the project. With discreet support from nearly forty of Jaguar's suppliers, this unofficial team, later nicknamed the "Saturday Club", operated outside the usual corporate framework. The XJ220 is thus profoundly shaped by intrepidity, a spirit of adventure, and an aura of secrecy.

Fresh from the momentum of its immensely successful endurance racing program, and its overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988, Jaguar was eager to channel its race-winning expertise into a road-going machine capable of surpassing all rivals. Unveiled the same year as a concept car, the XJ220 prototype was built around a chassis, engine, and drivetrain derived directly from Jaguar's Group C racing cars. Yet, true to the brand's heritage, it also preserved traditional Jaguar refinement, featuring a sumptuous leather interior and a beautifully sculpted aluminum body.

Styled by Keith Helfet, the XJ220 concept perfectly balanced elegance with aggression, featuring flowing, aerodynamic lines and retractable headlamps. Its proportions were extreme: 4.9 meters long, 2.0 meters wide, and just 1.15 meters tall, giving it a presence unmatched by its rivals. For production, Jaguar entrusted Tom Walkinshaw Racing, establishing a dedicated facility in Bloxham and announcing a planned run of 350 units.

Deliveries finally began in 1992, with a U.S. price of $450,000, well above the initial estimate, a sum that would equate to over a million dollars today, making it extraordinarily expensive, despite deposits of around $50,000 paid by customers. Even with technical changes from the original brief, the XJ220's performance remained breathtaking, reaching a verified top speed of 217 mph!

The production XJ220s retained their advanced engineering, built around lightweight aluminum bodywork and bonded honeycomb chassis. Power came from an FIA Group B, derived twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, producing 534 horsepower through a five-speed manual transmission. Despite narrowly missing its top speed goal, the XJ220 claimed the title of the fastest production car in the world at the time, while remaining unmistakably Jaguar inside, luxuriously trimmed in Connolly leather.

Among the 281 XJ220 ever produced, the example presented here was originally delivered new with left-hand drive to Vienna, Austria, in early autumn 1993, finished in Spa Silver with a Smoke Grey interior, a color combination that accentuates its futuristic lines, retained to this day and widely used by Jaguar's own marketing to promote the XJ220, appearing frequently in period press material and helping define the model's visual identity. The Jaguar supercar's first owner was a gentleman by the name of Herr Scheit.

The XJ220 later became part of a private collection in Luxembourg before arriving in Great Britain in 2016, where it was maintained by the specialists at DK Engineering in 2016 and 2017, with comprehensive invoices on file documenting the low mileage at the time. The most recent service, carried out at 1,211 kilometers (just 46 km ago), included an engine-out cambelt service, a thorough inspection of the entire fuel system with replacement of selected pumps, and the fitment of new tires. Throughout its history, each custodian has demonstrated an unmistakably refined and highly selective taste in supercars and, fully aware of the extraordinary nature of the XJ220, added only minimal exercise mileage along the way.

Thirty-three years later, this example displays an impressively low 1,257 kilometers (781 miles) from new at the time of cataloging. Accompanied by its Jaguar Heritage Certificate, original owner's manuals, service records, tool kit, and first aid kit, this XJ220 will appeal equally to collectors wishing to preserve it in its current condition or to those eager to take advantage of its exceptionally low mileage and enjoy behind-the-wheel driving of one of the most remarkable supercars of its era.