From a family of Jaguar lovers, I can say that the brand is one of the best with absolute certainty. I grew up in one not only in my house, but in the homes of many family members. They’re a classic brand with a beautiful design, classic interior and straight up luxury that is not easy to beat. It’s a luxury car through and through, but even Jag makes mistakes now and again. It turns out that some Jaguar owners were unhappy a few years back because of something that really wasn’t expected. The Jaguar XJ220 was touted the fastest car in the world from 1992 until 1994. It was everything – and only the best of the best owned one.
It was a Guinness world record holder for five straight years for being the fastest car in the world, but then the unthinkable happened.
History
It was brought to fruition in 1988 as a concept car. The XJ220 showed up at the British International Motor Show making a huge splash, and it wasn’t long before that concept was a reality. The reception was so amazing that Jag knew it had to bring the car to life. When the announcement was made that the car would be created, more than 1,500 people handed over their own $50,000 deposits to ensure that one would be created for them. Delivery was set for 1992 – that’s a big timeframe and a big deal.
Unfortunately, the world went into a recession in the early 90s and many of the people who put down their deposits decided it was not a financially sound decision to exercise their options to purchase the car, leaving only 271 of the Jaguar XJ220s produced. At the time, the cost of the vehicle was $470,000. From there, history was made as this car was named the fastest in the world from 1994 to 1999.
The only thing that this meant for the company was that the vehicle was a failure with only 271 to make. For buyers that paid the price, however, it meant they were going to make money off their purchase as this ride would turn into a collector’s edition.
The downfall of the Jaguar XJ220
People were in love with this car; the 271 people fortunate enough to afford it and drive it. Unfortunately, the car ended up becoming a huge failure when the biggest mistake ever to be made occurred; no one thought to make any additional tires for this vehicle. Meaning anyone who owned it could drive it until the tires were no longer good, and that was it. There are no other tires for the XJ220.
People who paid $470,000 for this vehicle could drive until they hit a nail, until their tires went bald or until they were worn out, and that was that. It was a travesty. No one wants a collector’s car when they cannot even drive it a mile because it literally has no tires.
It’s back
Imagine owning this car, spending this kind of money on this vehicle, and being unable to do anything with it. Now fast forward more than 2 decades and Bridgestone has announced that they are making new tires for this car. Suddenly, this minor-produced, amazing, historic car is worth more than ever before because now it is drivable once again. It’s back, it’s better than ever, and tires will soon be available for this car – no date has been announced, but there is a team working on the bespoke tire collection as we speak. This classic speedster is almost back in action – and no doubt worth more than ever before.
