Great video from Leno's Garage.

 

I wonder what it cost to crane this car down from the 37th floor of the Tokyo office building it was sitting in....

 

I have a 220 in my care and my opinion isn't quite so glowing...but 'supercars' are not really my cup of tea. I'm more of a 'gentleman's GT' type of guy

The boost coming in like an on-off switch is very annoying and make fast driving more difficult, especially when cornering... although the power is quite a thrill, I'll admit. I believe the 0-60 time was sub- 4 seconds so, yes, it isn't all that far behind the road rockets of today.

And like most supercars it really isn't suited for the real world. Horrible visibility, hard to get in-out of, terrible dash-windshield reflections, the engine sound is awful.

Still, I feel lucky .....


Cheers
DD

 

Doug,

How many miles are on the XJ220 in your care?

And what are the annual maintenance costs?

 

About 6500 miles

Annual costs? Virtually zilch. Other than charge the battery, change the oil, replace a clutch hose, and a new set of plugs I haven't done anything to the car except un-bury from the bowels of the warehouse and drive it from time to time. It always starts, though

It never gets used except when I take it for a spin or take it to a Jag show. Come to think of it, it's overdue for some exercise!

Click here and scroll down a bit and you'll see it at a Seattle show:

2011 Results | Western Washington All British Field Meet

Cheers
DD

 

Hey Doug--just curious as to what the circumstances are such that you are "in care" of this car (and others?).

Doug

 

I'm curious as well. Not to pry, but if you/the owner would ever be in a position to sell the car, please give me a call!

 

I sat in one at that year's Detroit Auto Show. It ..... Was ..... SWEET!! I loved the gauges in the door. I can only drool over the the idea of actually driving it.

Doug: Yur killin' us! - lol

 

I work for a family that owns a big car collection. My job is to love, drive, and repair the cars....and accompany them to cars shows from time to time. And manage insurance issues, arrange deliveries/transportation, photo shoots and videos...things of that nature. Along those lines, the 220 was used by a couple of graphics outfits who make those car racing video games.

It's lots of fun!

Cheers
DD

 

Gee.. sounds a lot better than my job.. I would hardly call that a job at all, in fact! Lucky man you are!

 

Wowzers. Nice work, if you can get it.
I saw one in person at a Jaguar dealership in Hong Kong years ago. I've heard that the 220s are absolutely terrifying to drive

 

I dunno what I did to deserve it....but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth !




Any car with that much power can be a real handful. You shouldn't just jump into any car with 500-600 hp and go hog wild, that's for sure. The 220 is a bit more difficult than some because of the boost coming in like an "on-off switch". Modern cars with that much power have traction control, stability control, etc to help keep us out of trouble.

I got into trouble with the 220 once, not because of power....although there's ample potential for that kind of trouble...but because of the horrible dashboard glare on the windshield. Almost a disaster.

Anyhow...

IMHO anything over about 400 hp is wasted on the street....but that's a different discussion and the 220, although fully street legal, isn't really a 'street' car....if you know what I mean.

Editorializing a bit more I'll say that I find it a little scary that anyone can just go down to, let's say, the local Dodge dealer and buy a 600-700 hp Hellcat and drive away. It's sorta like selling liquor to a teenager.

Cheers
DD

 

At least the Hellcat's power is linear...there's just a LOT of it. To your point, it does have ABS, Traction control, etc to try and keep you from stuffing it into a wall.

You think the Hellcat is terrifying, at least it has a healthy dealer markup to keep people away. Now think of all of the ridiculous HP that is trading hands in the $30,000-$40,000 range:
C6 Z06 - 505hp
CTS-V - 556hp
1st & 2nd Gen Vipers - 450+ hp
Mustang Cobras...the list goes on and on and on

 

XJ220 designed by Geoff Lawson. 'Was watching this video the other day and he puts in an appearance at 13:15. ('wonder what it was on our car that he could have 'worked a little bit more on'?)

 

I agree 100%. My other car is a '13 GT500, almost 700 hp. Now that I am in the Northeast, driving safely under many circumstances is impossible. Will consider different tires, but if it is still dangerous, it will be sold.

 

When is 700hp not dangerous?

 

When you only use 250 of it.