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Jaguar XJ220 owners: you can now buy replacement tyres for your supercar

9 September, 2016

 

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“Produced from 1992–1994, the Jaguar XJ220 has gone a long time without new rubber — but that is set to change thanks to Bridgestone.”

When you look at the Jaguar XJ220 it’s easily identified as a ’90s supercar. Its wheels are too small, it lacks modern aero, and it has an interior almost pinched from a 1991 Mitsubishi GTO. The ’90s were a long time ago, and so was the last time Jaguar XJ220 owners have been able to buy replacement tyres. A scary thought considering the XJ220 is capable of reaching 349.4kph — and it held the Guinness Book of Records fastest speed ever attained by a standard production car from 1994 to 1999. 

Just recently though, Bridgestone announced that they have teamed up with Don Law of Don Law Racing to develop a new OEM-spec tyre for the XJ220. Something as simple as a tyre has no doubt hurt resale value of the iconic ’90s machine, so it’ll be interesting to watch the prices skyrocket once people start getting them out of their storage holds. The new Bridgestone tyre is said to greatly outperform the original due to the advancements in tyre technology, which will be exciting to see, and they’ll be ready for the car’s 25th anniversary in 2017. If you’re curious about just how big the tyres are, try 255/55R17 tyres up front and 345/35R18 tyres down the back — just bonkers. That’s 300mm short of one metre of rubber touching the ground, just on the back! 

The XJ220 was an interesting beast. Originally it was meant to be a V12 all-wheel drive, and after taking 1500 £50,000 deposits Jaguar changed their mind, dropped two driving wheels, halved the amount of pistons and added two turbochargers — weird right? This came at a time when only Japan was producing such vehicles, as European supercars were meant to be V8, V10, or V12, and, more importantly, naturally aspirated. 

Jeremy Clarkson once described the turbocharger lag of the XJ220 to be terrible, and demonstrated by putting his foot down and counting until the boost came in. When it did come in it was quick, and produced 400kW (550hp) and 644Nm (475lb-ft) of torque. The XJ220 would accelerate to 100kph in only 3.6 seconds, which even by today’s standards is seriously moving. The 3.5-litre V6 engine found in the production XJ220 was dry-sumped, had Zytek multi-point injection with dual injectors and Zytek electronic engine management — all way ahead of its time. The engine block was produced from aluminium, as were the heads. An interesting note is that the XJ220 would receive 8.8L/100kms, which matches most common commuter cars of today. Not surprising though when you think how bad the turbocharger lag was — it was probably never on boost! 

NZ Classic Car magazine, November/December 2026 issue 408, on sale now

18 October, 2026

Star status for classic Porsche
A long search ends: finding the right car
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1963, the Porsche 911 heralded an iconic lineage of sports cars, known for their exceptional performance, remarkable racing reliability, and adaptability, second to none.
New Zealand Classic Car, in conjunction with Star Insure, recently conducted a photo competition to find 13 suitably impressive classics to grace the pages of the magazine’s 2027 calendar. A flood of entries showed that Kiwis recognise eye-catching designs and restorations. Many are handy with a camera, too, and have entered some outstanding results.
The choice was not straightforward, with multiple stunning entries, and Geoff Long’s immaculate 1990 Porsche 911 (964 Factory designation) took top honours. Fortunately, Geoff had Ethan Hanlon handy to take the accompanying photos while working in his office.
“I’ve got a young employee who is doing work experience in my office at the moment, and he’s a very avid photographer. So, I said, I’ll buy you breakfast and then why don’t we go and take some photos. He found the right spot, and he spent over an hour photographing.”
Originally sold new in Japan, hence the right-hand drive, the Porsche was resident there for four years before being exported to New Zealand, as Geoff recalls.
“I bought it two-and-a-half years ago, but I looked for it for over two years, because it’s just the colour scheme, interior and exterior I was after. The service file that came with it is extensive; I mean, it’s been beautifully looked after, which is what I wanted to continue, as it does get driven. It doesn’t sit in the garage.”

Classics on the green

16 October, 2026

Many pretenders vie for the title, but the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance gets my vote as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
The 71st edition of the world’s pre-eminent and best-known concours event featured 28 classes, judged by a 180-strong jury, which also chose the recipients of 26 special awards.
The size of the event, the number of visitors, and, most mind-numbingly, the sheer number of amazing cars, is almost overwhelming. There are so many quality cars to gaze upon, and so many people gazing at those cars, that it is almost impossible to cover everything.
Notable among the many attractions were the centenary celebrations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, an elegant Talbot-Lago Grand Sport, Hermann Graber’s Swiss-bodied cabriolets and coupés, the jewels of Otto Vu Italian V8s, early Alfa Romeos, Lincoln and its centenary, and cars with unorthodox propulsion systems.