Back in the ’90s, crop tops, denim, platform shoes, and incredibly fast sportscars dominated the scene. Car enthusiasts could look up to Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher as they enthusiastically raced on the toughest racing tracks, while they could also enjoy the spectacular cars that were launched back then. Of course, there were the Ferraris, Lamborghini and some new entrants like the controversial Jaguar XJ220 and the Lister Storm. Evidently, this was a time when every luxury vehicle manufacturer tried to impress their customers and sponsors with cars that offered incredible performance and agility on the racetrack.
For those who haven’t heard of the Lister Storm, this is a homologated racing car that was even featured in the Need For Speed racing video games. Meanwhile, those who are really immune to the charm of video games, or even incredibly fast cars, will probably remember the Lister Storm as the vehicle that bore an uncanny resemblance to KITT from the 1980s series Knight Rider. Both of these legendary vehicles have the same sleek futuristic look, and they both became influential icons of their times.
As for the Lister Storm, this sports car can do far more than incite onlookers and conquer the hearts of 1990s aficionados. In fact, there are several aspects that are mind-blowing about the Lister Storm. For instance, this was a supercar with the powertrain placed ahead of the driver, although all its rivals had the engine placed behind the driver.
Additionally, the taillights were “borrowed” from the Audi 80 B3, so Audi fans will instantly recognize them. And the Brembo disc brakes were placed behind 18-inch alloy wheels. Yet, these were hardly the only cool things about the List Storm. Hence, we go in-depth to analyze what really made this supercar a legend.
The Lister Storm Is Quite A Really Fast Car
Evidently, race cars are expected to be speedy, but the Lister Storm was even faster than the most acclaimed vehicles, and it even broke several speed records. Unfortunately, the Lister Storm was plagued with problems, and it received horrible grades in reliability, killing its ambition of winning major races. In spite of these issues, no one could dispute Lister’s incredible racing career, which lasted until 2007, when the vehicle was officially retired.
As for speed, this spectacular four-seater could accelerate from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds, and it could reach the top speed of 208 mph (335 km/h). Evidently, this performance crowned the Lister as the fastest four-seater in the world. It’s worth noting that the Lister kept the record for a decade. Not too shabby for a vehicle plagued with problems!
The Lister Storm: Truly A Limited Edition Car
There’s too much talk these days about limited edition or special edition cars when in reality few companies manufacture limited product lines. But that wasn’t the case for the Lister Storm. Considering that only four units were built because of the high production cost, these cars were the definition of ultra-exclusivity.
Finding one of these cars today is something close to Mission Impossible. It is worth noting that only three cars still exist today, so this substantially boosts the value of the Lister.
The Lister Storm Has A Relatively Long Racing Career
As mentioned earlier, the Lister was an exciting presence on the racing circuit. It launched its racing career at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans as a competitor in the GT1 class. Unfortunately, it ran against industry mammoths like McLaren F1 GTR and Ferrari F40 LM, which were the clear favorites.
The Lister failed to finish the race because of transmission problems, and it had to abandon the competition after 40 laps. However, despite the weak start, the Lister remained a constant figure on the racing circuit, participating in races for an entire decade. Elsewhere, in 2000, Lister presented itself at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a modified GT2 version.
The Lister Storm Is Powered By A 7.0-litre Jaguar V12 Engine
The powertrain is probably one of the best features of this high-performance four-seater. Moreover, the engine shows the connection between the Lister and Jaguar.
Originally, Lister was known to have started out tuning Jaguars such as the XJS. Without a doubt, this interest in upgrading Jaguar vehicles helped the Lister design and build these fantastic cars.
The Storm is equipped with a 7.0-liter V12 engine that produced 546 horsepower (407 kW) at 6,100 RPM and 583 pound-feet (790 Nm) at 3,450 RPM. Imagine what a fantastic car they could have built if Jaguar would have officially teamed up with Lister to manufacture the best racing car of its time.
