Lister Jaguar XJS Le Mans Is a Rare Icon
If your stock V12 wasn’t powerful enough in the ’80s, a Lister Jaguar XJS would more than double the horsepower & shred its way through corners.
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, you could buy a brand new Jaguar XJ220 supercar. It’s the first thing that springs to mind from the era as the ultimate performance Jaguar. However, if you didn’t have $846,000 and wanted something else distinctly insane, then a Lister Jaguar XJS Le Mans, like this example that we spotted for sale on Art & Revs, was for you. A GT car rather than a supercar, but with more horsepower and double the cylinders of an XJ220.
Lister had a couple of different packages and options available through the 1980s, but this is the daddy bear. Lister worked with BLE Automotive and WP Automotive to tune the XJS Le Mans cars. Ultimately, they more than doubled the stock V12’s output to a brutal 604 horsepower. If that’s not manic enough, the modified engine also has 612 lb-ft of torque on tap.
To get the absurd performance, engine displacement is increased to 7.0 liters and a pair of superchargers utilized. Yes, you read that right. The Lister Jaguar XJS Le Mans has a 7.0 liter V12 with twin superchargers pushing 604 horsepower. A scary recipe for a GT road car from the end of last century. But, to help keep it on the road and attack corners, flared wheel arches house wider rubber on 17″ multi-piece vented aero wheels. A front air dam and rear spoiler help to keep the car grounded and show off the Lister Jaguar XJS Le Mans muscles.