WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Depending on who you talk to, the number 220 represents a couple of things. Some believe this was the number produced, which clearly isn’t the answer, as the XJ220 was released with this moniker at the British Motor Show when production was to be 350 (the final number built was somewhere between 271 and 284 cars; we have been unable to get an unequivocal answer on this one). Most likely, it is the target top speed of the XJ. Of course, this was when the car was a concept, and the reality of boring things like tyres and a runway long enough to establish top speed were issues of the future. In testing, the XJ managed just 213mph (342.7kph), but ‘XJ213’ doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?