Modern hypercars tend towards smaller engines and electric hybrid drives, but these two hypercars are as old-fashioned as they get.
Let’s just admit, when it comes to ultra-fast hypercars, we’re spoiled for choice in 2021. We live in a time when sophisticated, high-performance sports cars are more accessible than ever, but it all had to start somewhere.
The modern hypercar revolution can largely trace its roots back to the early to mid-1990s and the exploits of two particular classics, the Jaguar XJ220 and the Mclaren F1. Without these two titans, the future is the Supercar The industry may have looked very different than it is today.
While many modern hypercars are interested in smaller engines and electric hybrid drives, these two hypercars are as old-fashioned as they can get. Big engines, fat tires, and no computer assistants were the way back in time, and these two did it better than anyone. With everyone interested today in deciding which is better between the Mclaren P1 and the Porsche 918, we thought it would be fun to show you the supercar rivalry that started it all.
The XJ220 and the Mclaren F1 are far more than just icons of their time. They set the stage for all of the amazing hypercars that came after that. Let’s take a deep dive into the rivalry that sparked the hypercar movement as we know it.
Jaguar XJ220: brilliant despite all the flaws
GQ
The story behind the XJ220 is one that was pretty strange even from an automotive standpoint. One where the car returned to the drawing board several times before settling on a finished product. This was done for a number of reasons, including deciding what exactly fits under the hood.
Via: garagedreams.net
Initial concepts require a racing-derived Jaguar V12, similar to the one that found its way into the legendary Jaguar LeMans racing cars in the mid to late 1980s. This engine had double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder at a time when most cars didn’t even have two. Titanium was used in the construction of key powertrain components such as piston connecting rods. It was also Jaguar’s first attempt at developing a bespoke all-wheel drive system.
Auctions with me by the way,
The first XJ2220 concept car was indeed equipped with this amazing V12 powerplant and all-wheel drive. Unfortunately, for several controversial reasons, Jaguar Top Brass decided it was unsuitable for the job at hand. In its place was a twin-turbo V6 engine straight from the Austin Metro Group B rally car. A brilliant engine in itself, but nowhere near the pantomime that the original V12 had. Even so, when the XJ220 was launched in the early 1990s, it was the fastest car in the world with a top speed of 349 km / h. However, this title did not last long.
Mclaren F1: Taking the car to the next level
Via the telegraph
Gordon Murray, chief designer of the Mclaren F1, is a man of extremely strong conviction, he believed then and still believes that a hypercar should be the absolute pinnacle of car design, technology and driving pleasure. When he was hired to develop the fastest car the world had ever seen, he was well suited for the job.
via Business Insider
By today’s standards, the F1 looks almost Spartan. On the other hand, in Gordon Murray’s eyes, modern supercars are too fat, too heavy and, of course, too slow. This is reflected in the design of the Mclaren F1.
via uk.motor1
One of these beauties does not have a leather-wrapped interior with an integrated infotainment system. Just three seats, a steering wheel, a gear lever and you’re done. Everything else is achieved with a naturally aspirated BMW V12 that takes the F1 to a still very respectable top speed of 241 mph.
In the end, both of them lost
Via www.supercars.net
For all objective measures, the F1 was a faster, more agile, and better-built automobile than the XJ220. But on a grand scale this victory was irrelevant. For one thing, both cars were not made in the 1990s, but in the late 1980s. A time when the global economy was stronger than ever and greed was good. By the time they both hit the market, the stock market had collapsed again, with the Jaguar and Mclaren customer base hoping to sell their cars to erode them at a fraction of what they were just a few years earlier.
Trainer
Jaguar was first sold to Ford and then to the Indian company Tata Motors. Mclaren, on the other hand, wouldn’t start building a street car again until the MP4-12C was released nearly two decades later. Even when hypercars look amazing and draw a lot of attention to their brand, forces beyond their control can still often determine who comes out on top.
Sources: Business Insider, Mecum Auctions, Garagedreams.com
About the author
Benny Kirk
(217 articles published)
Ben Kirk is a graduate of the State University of New York’s Purchase School of Journalism with a major in Political Science. Ultimately, he thought that writing about cars would be far less depressing. When he’s not working as a feature writer for hotcars.com, he’s frantically checking his base 2017 Sentra for new oil leaks or playing on his purpose-built PC.
More from Benny Kirk
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