Jaguar is in a strange place right now because it’s wedged between two very different versions of itself. In front lies a future defined by a bold design language and electric powertrains, ushered in by perhaps the most divisive car in a generation: the 1,015-hp, 400-mile 2028 Type 01 sedan. Behind it is a century-old story about craftsmanship, passion, and a great big dollop of supercharger whine. There was the absolutely stunning E-Type, which Enzo Ferrari famously christened as the most beautiful car in the world, and let’s not forget the bonkers V12-powered XJR-9 that not only won Le Mans, but was voted as one of your favorite sports prototype race cars of all time.
Then there’s the XJ220 — arguably the most curious chapter of them all. It had a difficult start to life because Jaguar opted for a last-minute switch from a V12 to a twin-turbo V6 and from all-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, instantly making it less sexy and appealing to customers than rivals like the Bugatti EB110 and Ferrari F40. Instead, the XJ220 did its talking with sheer force, clocking a 217-mph top speed to become the world’s fastest production car in 1992. Imagine how smug its engineers felt.
What’s interesting about its twin-turbo V6 is how it was tested. We all know manufacturers use test mule cars to iron out any pre-production issues, but these normally have some sort of resemblance to the final car. For the XJ220, Jaguar and its development partner Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) decided to use a humble Ford Transit. Yes, a Ford Transit. If you’re thinking this sounds familiar, it’s because it was the same vehicle Richard Hammond used in a drag race against a Holden Maloo truck, when the original “Top Gear” trio competed against their Aussie counterparts.
OK, but why a Transit?
Most likely, discretion. The XJ220 was a tight-lipped secret around the Jaguar offices, and when TWR had finalized the engine setup and wanted to run its various litmus tests, it had to do so very carefully. So, what better to use to disguise your shiny new, world-record-chasing motor than something absolutely nobody would suspect?
Based on a 1989 long-wheelbase Ford Transit, the exterior looked almost identical to a slightly worn example, with the only potential giveaway being the ZR performance tires and identical alloy wheels to those that would eventually end up on the XJ220. But if you were to open up the cargo bed, you’d spot the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 — originally rated at 540 horsepower — and suspiciously racy running gear lurking low down.
An interesting fact is that this engine is actually closely related to the engine in the MG 6R4 — a monstrous rally car, and arguably the only cool car MG has ever built. You see, the 6R4 was built for Group B, which ended in 1986, and thus meant MG had no use for a properly decked-out six-cylinder engine anymore. It then reportedly sold the rights and design infrastructure to TWR, and that’s how it eventually wound up in the XJ220.
What happened to the van after testing?
If you thought it was heading for a peaceful retirement in the Scottish Highlands, you’d be dead wrong. Once TWR had finished work with it, the Transit was acquired by the Benetton Formula 1 team, which used it as a parts delivery vehicle. It might have been on the verge of being scrapped after Benetton was done with it, but then, in stepped a savior: Don Law Racing.
Don Law Racing is widely considered to be the world’s leading XJ220 specialist. The rightful heir to the Frankenstein Transit project, then. The company worked on the vehicle and got it back up to condition, and once it eventually did, it appeared in places like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it has indeed been up the hill on multiple occasions and left unsuspecting spectators in awe. Quite the fairy-tale ending, wouldn’t you say?
