Too fast for the road?

[Mactech]

That exact 220 VAN Jag was on The Grand Tour last night!

Yes, I knew it had been lent to Clarkson and his mates to rag about....but the real 220 van is in the very back of the Silverstone picture.
A transit van used by the engine dept to do drivability and durability tests on the drivetrain before a real 220 prototype was ready for the road.
It has a complete 220 drivetrain and is an absolute hoot to drive. In the capable hands of Justin Law was quick enough to get in the top ten at the Goodwood hillclimb....disguised as Goodwood maintainace van, complete with dead coffee cups and copy of the Sun on the dashboard!

 

[Ben320cdi]

I saw him run. It was a sight to behold.

 

[John]

My boss, Tom Walkinshaw, is portrayed accurately in this piece....

Small world!

I once went for a job at TWR in the late 90s which was somewhere around the Oxford area I think. It was too far for me to commute to sadly.

There was an F1 car in reception which was fantastic... I would have loved it had I been nearer.

 

[SpoonJar]

I remember sitting behind one on the road some years ago, could not believe how wide it looked from behind. I know cars are getting bigger every year but back then it looked as wide as a bus.

Russ

Same as a Ferrari Testarossa. I sat behind one going towards Egham, years ago. Wide as a house.

 

[Mactech]

During the development of the XJ220 it was important for us to understand the nature of cars that could be seen as competition in supercar arena. Most of the comparative tests were held within the security and safety of Millbrook proving ground using the all the various circuits they had available. Some of the cars we also got to drive on the road, but using known circuits was an easier way to make direct comparisons.

These are my memories of tests 27 years ago.


Ferrari F40

What a fantastic engine! Felt like an atmo engine, smooth, linear and with a great connection to the throttle pedal. The chassis, on the other hand, I was appalled by! Having just spent 6 years with real carbon chassis in Jaguar’s Group C cars racecars, to find what amounted to Formula Ford type space frame with some cosmetic carbon panels gobbed onto it with what appeared to be Kermit green gorilla snot, was very disappointing.

This translated to some very nervous ‘on the limit’ handling as the chassis flexed. To be fair, the grip was actually quite good up to the limit most would push the car, but it was ‘Spartan’ and Jaguar wanted something much more civilised.


Porsche 959

A very capable car! At least as quick as the F40 but done in a much more developed and clinical manner. Great traction and grip but less involving than the Ferrari in the same way that most Audi Quattro cars leave you feeling that the car has just taken that corner well rather than you have….


Bugatti EB110

(Sorry matt8n, I hadn’t read the small print…..)

I got to drive this car later in the year after the XJ220 was getting close to engineering sign off. To me it was verification that the right decision had been taken to lighten and simplify the Jag from it’s V12 4WD show car origins to it’s lighter, 2WD, V6 production format.

The Bugatti felt big, cumbersome and dense. There was no doubting it’s grip and straight line performance, but agility, poise and fun were not words that sprung to mind.

The company also got into financial difficulties a little while later which proved that unless you have someone with the might of the VAG group bankrolling you, then being less ambitious with your technical targets was probably wise.

More recently Bugatti (now under the wing of VAG) have proved they can build quite astonishing cars.


Lamborghini

All the ones I drove were (however good looking?) just crude!

Again, things have changed massively in recent years under VAG.


XJ220

The big Jag was not without it’s faults. The engine, despite it’s lightness power and torque retains all the refinement of a Millwall supporter, and it is quite big!

Those were things we never got to change. We were able to give the car a really stiff ali honeycomb chassis, some real downforce and agility that belies the cars size. You really can chuck this thing around as you would with your Golf GTI….and still live! (Observation of roundabouts ahead advised)

It’s part of the reason that the car held the Nurburgring road car record for about 7 years and won it’s class at Le Mans. It had and, and still has the performance of a proper supercar.

 

[Mactech]

I think I may have posted this previously, but a year or so ago we got to develop some new boots for the old girl....

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies