Published: Jun 24, 2012

Weekend Celebration: The 20th Birthday of the Jaguar XJ220

One of the greatest Jaguars ever built.

It may sound hard to believe, but it's been 20 years since Jaguar revealed one of their all-time greatest models, the XJ220. From the moment it was first shown to the public, it was evidently clear that the XJ220 was a supercar game-changer in design and performance. Powered by a 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with 542hp and 476lb-ft of torque and mated to a five-speed manual. Also partly due to its lightweight (3,200 lbs.), it could go as fast as 220mph, hence the name XJ220.

Weekend Celebration: The 20th Birthday of the Jaguar XJ220

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It lapped the Nurburgring in 7:45.37, which in 1992 was ridiculously fast. In production for just two years, a total of only 275 units were built. Needless to say, it's become a legend in the exotic supercar world and its value has rapidly increased over the years. To celebrate its 20th birthday, a celebration is taking place right now at Weston Park in Shropshire, UK during the International Jaguar Weekend. On hand to mark the occasion is designer Keithe Helfet, build team member Jim Randle as well as fellow team member Mike Moreton who also wrote the book "Jaguar XJ220 - The Inside Story".

The original XJ220 concept was first revealed in 1988 at the British Motor Show. The production version had its debut just a few years later to a stunned public. Even today, the XJ220 still looks downright incredible and it helped set the standard for modern supercars.