A Reimagining of the Wonderful XJ220, with more horsepower and a plethora of modernizations to bring the car into the modern world!
The Jaguar XJ220 is one of the most iconic and beautiful cars of its time, a true piece of automotive artwork. At one time the fastest car in the world (217.1mph), and a rightful class winner at Le Mans (by 2 Laps), the XJ220 deserves its place in supercar history right alongside other titans of the late 80s and 90s like the Ferrari F40, Ferrari F50, Porsche 959, McLaren F1 and Bugatti EB110.
Thanks to major advancements in car technology since the early 90s, we at OMD knew we could not only breathe new life into this amazing machine (car #203), but vastly improve reliability and subsequently usability. Car #203 was an extremely low mileage US market example, that due to the almighty father time, was in need of some restorative work including replacing the racing fuel bladder.
The owner of this beautiful vehicle put his complete faith into us that we could not only restore the car to working order, but in the spirit of the original Jaguar and TWR designers and engineers, modify this rare and historically significant car in a way no one before ever had. Our decision early on was to only modify the car in such a way that everything could be returned to OEM specification if and when needed, because the XJ220 deserves to be treated with respect as it carries with it a notable place in automotive history.
Step one of our work was removing the championship winning JRV-6 and inspecting the engine and fueling system. The engine was thoroughly checked and deemed to be in nearly new condition. New gaskets, timing belts, and spark plugs were installed, and the engine was re-timed to OMD specifications based on our extensive engine building past. Some key modifications made to the engine included new modern injectors, the addition of modern on-plug coils and custom coil covers that appear OEM.
With the engine prepped we moved onto engine auxiliaries starting with the fuel system. Due to the trouble of acquiring an original Premier Fuel Bladder as a US owner, a new bladder was designed in house and built by US company FuelSafe. The new bladder fills the same space as the original but includes the added benefit of compatibility with ethanol based fuels such as E85. This gives us ultimate fuel flexibility, the consistency of 91 octane Gas, or the lower burning temps and higher octane of e85 and any blend of the two. A pair of Hellcat fuel pumps and Holley fuel socks were fit to the system alongside all new PTFE E85 compliant fuel lines. This new fuel system would provide the flexibility, dependability, and consistency often only seen in modern hypercars such as Koenigsegg or Hennessey.
Now to give XJ220 #203 the power of such cars, we added a pair of modern Garrett G25 54mm turbochargers. Advancements in machining technology, CAD software, and CFD software means modern turbochargers are more efficient than ever, providing more horsepower with lower boost and less lag. In an effort to build a better turbocharging system, a titanium equalization tube was fabricated to balance side to side boost and house a Tial blow off valve that would release excess turbo pressure for better response during shifting. Initial dyno testing showed an 80hp gain on 8psi lower boost pressure (9psi vs 17.5psi). Our team at OMD is confident 800whp is easily achievable with more boost!
To properly control all of these engine modifications a new ECU made by British company DTA fast was installed along with a new in house custom engine wiring harness. This ECU gives us complete control of the tuning and opens the door for flex-fuel use to any degree desired and the ability to increase boost with ease and achieve record-breaking horsepower numbers!
A ground-up custom stainless steel exhaust system was fabricated from the turbos to the tips. Vacuum operated valves open under boost to create a truly menacing V6 roar that would feel properly at home powering down the Mulsanne Straight. A button in the interior was added to override the valve if the need to strike fear in the hearts of those around you should arise. Hand flamed round exhaust tips were added to give a touch of JDM Flare OMD is known for.
Any car that can achieve 217mph (or more now) needs to have the best possible brakes, and the OEM street brakes were anything but. The new system features modern AP Racing slotted and ventilated discs of 14.25” (36.2 cm) on all 4 corners. New AP racing forged aluminum 6-piston calipers were fit as well. Custom racing-style sealed brake duct cooling were fit to all 4 wheels. All of these upgrades give the car far more powerful, responsive and consistent braking!
To fit these upgraded brakes, new wheels were custom designed in house and built by the experts at Brixton Forged Wheel Company. The wheels were made bigger (18” x 9” front, 19” x 13” rear) and feature new tires that are readily available including a common Porsche size front tire (265/35/18) and Dodge Viper ACR rear tire(345/30/19). The added size and addition of significant rear dish gives the car an entirely new aggressive, sleek, and downright sexy feel that no other XJ quite shares.
Drivability was of paramount importance to us, because in our mind the XJ220 is a thoroughbred race horse, and it needs to run. In light of this, we made multiple modifications to improve the vehicle's usability. Starting with a KW 4-wheel hydraulic suspension lift. It lifts the car 2” (50mm) to get in and out of driveways and over speedbumps making the car far more usable on public roadways. We also added adjustable traction control to allow spirited but safe driving on the limit of grip.
Our Reimagined XJ220 was successfully unveiled at The Quail Motorsports Gathering to nothing but praise from those who saw the car and heard of the upgrades we made. Test driving of the car has proved the validity of our upgrades. Car #203 is faster, stops better, looks better, and is more usable than ever before!
Working on this project was challenging but nonetheless amazing and we are extremely proud of the product we have to show the world.