The ultimate Jaguar XJS: V12 TWR Supercat revealed in full
TWR Supercat’s carbon-fibre bodywork and a supercharged V12 engine complete the reimagined Jaguar XJS
Beneath the sculpted carbon-fibre bonnet is a supercharged V12 engine – developed by TWR engineers. Carbon-fibre panels give a 9.3% weight reduction (1605kg) compared to the original XJS (1770kg)
Car of the month – TWR Supercat
It says TWR, but that’s no Group C car?
Correct! This TWR isn’t quite like the old TWR that created fire-breathing touring and sports cars under the stewardship of Tom Walkinshaw. This new iteration is run by Tom’s son Fergus Walkinshaw and aims to take the company name into a new era of engineering. This is the first car, the souped-up Supercat, a V12-powered reimagining of the Jaguar XJS.
Six-speed manual
So, is it new or old then?
A bit of both. TWR took a basic XJS, which it considered to be one of Jaguar’s more unloved models, and set out to create what the car could have been. So, while it’s based on an old chassis design, TWR has gone to town with the redesign. The chassis is restored and bolstered with carbon fibre, there’s new subframes and suspension plus uprated brakes and a six-speed manual gearbox, something the old XJS was never offered with. Bodywork is now carbon fibre.
Who designed it?
Khyzyl Saleem, who became a social media sensation creating restomod bodykits. But this is his first ground-up car design. He’s been assisted by Magnus Walker, perhaps better known as one of the world’s leading Porsche collectors. Walker is also a big fan of Jags, especially V12-flavoured ones.
Broader width – 1975mm, up from 1,793mm
That V12 sounds good
And so it should. TWR wanted to stick with the traditional heart of the XJS, which has always been a V12. However, this unit is different as it’s designed and hand-built by TWR. Uprated to 5.6 litres (from 5.3 in the old car) it’s also now supercharged and capable of producing upwards of 600bhp.
And it’s not a pink brick
Unlike Jaguar’s controversial electric Type 00 concept that wouldn’t look amiss in Thunderbirds, this has a proper engine and is underpinned by traditional Jag values, sprinkled with lashings of TWR spice.
5.6 litres
Can I buy one?
Order books are now open with production limited to 88 units – that number a homage to the 1988 Jaguar XJR-9 which scored the brand its comeback Le Mans win. Deliveries are expected to start in mid-2025 and it’ll cost £225,000 excluding taxes and options.