British firm breathes new life into a once-hated Jaguar

The return of famed motorsports outfit Tom Walkinshaw Racing has seen the firm release its modern take on the Jaguar XJS grand tourer.

It’s called the TWR Supercat, and follows the same principle of the plethora of other ‘restomods’: take a classic car and fit it with modern equipment while keeping the spirit of the original.

TWR is no stranger to Jaguars, having previously prepared V12-powered monsters as a factory-backed team and winning at the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice (in 1988 and 1990).

British firm breathes new life into a once-hated Jaguar

The firm was also involved in Australian motorsport, having placed first and third at the 1985 Bathurst 1000 with a pair of Jaguar XJS coupes, and later founding what became the Holden Racing Team, which won six V8 Supercars championships in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

While the TWR Supercat is largely based on the core design of the XJS, there are nods to other Jaguar racers such as the XJ220 and its XJR-series Le Mans champion machines in its carbon-fibre bodywork.

This includes a large front splitter, wide boxy wheel arches, massive rear diffuser and aero disc wheels, all of which were designed by digital artist Khyzyl Saleem with help from consultant and prolific Porsche collector Magnus Walker.

Though there are no photos of its drivetrain, TWR says the Supercat hides a supercharged V12 engine under its bonnet, good for making 447kW (or 600 horsepower) which is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission.

TWR isn’t naming names, but it promises the Supercat is more than just a showpiece, with technical input from engineers who’ve worked for McLaren, Ferrari, Porsche, Williams, Mercedes F1 and Renault F1.

We’ll have to wait until the European summer (late June to September) to see what the Supercat’s interior looks like, but given the wild treatment to the exterior it’s unlikely to retain the same plush, sophisticated appearance of the original XJS.

Fergus Walkinshaw – the son of the late Tom Walkinshaw, and now head of TWR – has confirmed there are plans to produce 88 examples of the Supercat (honouring the team’s 1988 Le Mans win), each priced from an eye-watering £225,000 ($435,000) before on-road costs.

There’s an outside chance we could see one in Australia too, with TWR making the Supercat available in the UK “and major international markets including the USA”.

While we wait to see the TWR Supercat fire up its supercharged V12 engine, here’s a throwback to the Jaguar XJS leading the opening laps at Bathurst in 1985 with Tom Walkinshaw behind the wheel. Turn it up and enjoy.

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