The 220 in the name designates the rated top speed (according to Jaguar at the time of production) and it certainly looked like it was capable of it. We came across this pearl blue Jag, roaming the streets of Malibu during our summer visit. The driver was being followed by what we thought was a friend in a Alfa Romeo 75, but there is a very good possibility he was an onlooker, much like we were. Hanging our heads out the window and aiming or cheap point and shoot digital camera at this amazing piece of British engineering, the Jag reared up, traction control took hold and she left us just as quickly as she had entered our world. Dissapointment took hold, as we realized that the next time we may ever see one of these cars was going to be behind a velvet rope at an automotive show. Dissapointment soon faded however, as we made a speedy left hand turn in our lungering SUV beast. There she sat, all 220 miles per hour of her, parked on the shoulder. The driver was stepping out and pulling up behind him was the Alfa 75. We sat in Southern California traffic, sweating and uncomfortable as the A/C had never worked properly, and wondered what the condition of the A/C in the Jag migh be in... The XJ220 was produced by Jaguar in conjunction with Tom Walkinshaw Racing, between 1992 and 1994. It featured a mid engine layout, with a 3.5l V6 and a pair of Garrett T-3 turbochargers, forcing hot air back into the intake. Making somewhere in the realm of 550bhp at 7000rpm and 475 lf/ft of torque at 4500rpm, the Jag never managed its 220mph claim, however in 1992 at the Nardo Ring, Martin Brundle managed a 217mph pass.
