Flagship Jaguar.... [PIC]

    The XJ220 Jaguar was its first hypercar built in the 1990s between '92 and '94. Modeled as the 220 for the estimated top speed, it actual reached 217 mph with a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds. During that era, rather than go with the boxy wedge of its competitors, it went with a curvy design ala Malcolm Sayer's previous designs. The body's design generated 1.5 tons of downforce. The powerplant of the concept car was a naturally aspirated V12, but for the production XJ220s they used the 3.5 liter JRV-6 V6 twin turbo that produced 542 HP. That engine was originally from an Austin Rover rally car that was bought by TWR and with a new division called Jaguar Sports created this race engine. Due to the complexity and weight distribution, unlike the 4WD concept, the production car was rear wheel drive only. To achieve that 217 mph top speed, the car's twin catalytic converters were removed as they weren't yet mandated in Europe. The XJ220 debuted to mixed reviews like "It's too big for a 2 seater", minimal luggage capacity, some claimed both oversteer and understeer, and others loved it. The bad press caused many to back out of the contracts with law suits ensuing. Of the original 330 units, only 281 were built and it took until the last one was sold at a discount in 1997.

    This 1/12 model by Maisto is at least 25 years old and with their level of quality back then, I was shocked at how nice this model actually is and how cheap it sold for. I stumbled across these old pics which by their size had to have been taken by the camera I had around Y2K.