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Thrashing the Jaguar XJ220: Brilliant or Blasphemy?

2 August, 2017

You may have read about the ultra-low mileage, Kiwi-based Jaguar XJ220 in a recent issue of NZ Classic Car. If so, you’ll have read about the rich history and racing pedigree of the XJ220. You’ll have read about what goes into repairing the XJ220 and the bespoke tyres which threatened to send the XJ220 into oblivion.

What a car — a piece so recognisable it could take rightful place in an art museum. Unless you’re these guys.

The infamous TaxTheRich100 YouTube channel has been making car videos for several years, but not your run of the mill, take your Miata out for a Sunday hoon type videos, mind you. These guys put on a hell of a show in some of the most exotic and expensive cars in the world, including the XJ220.

If you get squeamish at the site of millions of dollars worth of cars being driven by maniacs (they do know how to pedal, though), it might pay to look away now.

Burning (very expensive) rubber to taking the XJ220 out to do some paddock work. Possibly not what Jaguar had in mind but it looks like a hell of a lot of fun.

Polishing to perfection

26 February, 2026

The secret to a show-stopping finish is colour sanding, no matter which paint system you use. Even a good painter, no matter how experienced or talented — like my mate Bruce Haye, CEO at Ace Panel and Paint in Whitianga — can’t shoot to a perfect mirror finish. To get that level of perfection, you need to colour sand.
It used to be called ‘rubbing out’ or ‘cutting’, and it was done with pastes that came in cans. They worked — sort of — but the compounds really just rounded off imperfections instead of eliminating them, and they removed a lot of paint in the process. But now your new finish can be made flawless, thanks to microfine sandpapers that come in 1000, 1500, 2000, and even 2500 grit ranges, and Farecla G3 polish — available from automotive paint suppliers.

NZ Classic Car magazine, March/April 2026 issue 404, on sale now

22 February, 2026

BMW’s flagship techno showcase
The supermodel 1995 BMW 840Ci is simply elegant and perfectly engineered.
BMW’s 840 Ci flagship Coupe provides superb comfort and equipment packaged in a stylish body, with grand-touring performance and surprisingly competent handling for its size.
It’s the kind of machine that stands apart from the start. When BMW first unveiled its flagship Grand Tourer at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show, the automotive world blinked twice. Sleek, low, and impossibly modern for its era, it combined drama with a sort of purposeful understatement. This silhouette still looks striking today, long after its peers have faded into obscurity.
Initially offered with a range of engines, the model you’re reading about is the V8 iteration, featuring a 4.0-litre eight-cylinder heart under its long bonnet and a smooth five-speed automatic at the back. It wasn’t about blistering sprint times so much as effortless velocity. There was power on tap, sure, but the way it delivered thrust felt unhurried and measured – the automotive equivalent of a deep exhale on a long drive.
Poster 1964 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, C2