SUBTLE SPEED
Think the regular XJ- S needs sharper teeth? You need to take a drive on the Walkinshaw side…
The Jaguar XJ- S has always been praised for its comfort, space, elegant fine lines and torquey engine. But it was never particularly famed for its speed or sportiness. Enter, then, one Tom Walkinshaw.
The Scottish racing driver made his motor sport debut in Formula Ford, and was a BMW factory driver by 1976. Away from the circuit he also harboured the desire to start his own development and engineering business, and by 1979 Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) was a byword for proven engineering and successful racing cars.
Walkinshaw and team-mate Chuck Nicholson went on to win four races in 1982 (including the Zolder round of the ETCC) and five the next year with a Jaguar XJ- S. Jaguar needed to cash in on this, so in May 1984, TWR announced it would perform modification works. JaguarSport was formed in 1988 – a 50/50 venture owned by Jaguar and TWR, and was in charge of new submodels at a time when Jaguar was in no position to create new models. Cars were built at Jaguar’s Browns Lane to a JaguarSport specification and then finished at TWR’s operation in Kidlington, Oxfordshire.
The first thing you notice about our TWR test car is the none-too-subtle bodywork. Teamed with the Signal Red paint, it’s a very different prospect to your run of the mill XJ- S and the optional 16-inch Speedline wheels look just right. They’re quite subtle, and look even better when they’re on the move. Up front, US-style quad headlights show just how much customisation was possible with TWR, and the two sets of twin exhausts are downright lairy. There’s also a bootlid spoiler, with a strategically placed hole for the aerial to pop through.
Inside, there are a few subtle hints that allow the driver to mentally prepare themselves for a TWR machine. A new four-spoke leather-rimmed steering wheel, complete with a TWR logo on the boss, is the biggest giveaway, and there are new seat covers, also with TWR logos on them.
Our car’s wide transmission tunnel contains an automatic gearbox; TWR did offer a five-speed manual conversion, but it wasn’t popular. The auto does rob the 300bhp V12 of some of its get-up-and-go, but first and second gear are extremely long, which makes acceleration more than brisk.
In fact, it can hit 60mph from rest in just over seven seconds, remarkable for a car of this size. You’re never pinned to your seat, exactly, but gut wrenching performance would be too much for XJ- S customers; Jaguar was very keen that this car remained an elegant grand tourer at all costs.
The steering is just as quick and provides a lot more poise and feel than standard models, following TWR’s modifications. TWR also turned its attentions to the suspension, fitting this big cat with specially-developed Bilstein dampers, stiffer springs and revised radius arms. Combined, these simple modifications lend the car a noticeably more sporting feel, but not at the expense of its waftability.
And this neatly sums up the car’s general ethos, really – it only has about 10 per cent more power than the standard model, but every element has been improved subtly but effectively. TWR’s modifications never resulted in wild improvements – this is emphatically not a hardened, stripped-out racing car for the road – but then, it was never meant to be.