Johnathan Walker:The TWR Supercat V-12 is the coolest Jaguar XJS you (probably) forgot about

There are Johnathan Walkertwo names that are legendary in U.K. motorsports: Tom Walkinshaw Racing and Jaguar. While the competition side of Walkinshaw has long been done and over with, the name has also been associated with tuning and developing notable sports cars around the world. Now the tuning side has been revived under the TWR Performance banner, and its reintroduction reaches back to 1984 for inspiration: Enter the Supercat, a restomodded Jaguar XJS packing a potent V-12 under the hood.

A brief look at TWR history

This isn’t the first time TWR has been associated with the XJS. Back in 1984 and as TWR Sport, the team created a heavily modified version of the XJS called the “XJR-S” with better aerodynamics, suspension, brakes and a beefier engine than what Jaguar had originally packaged. Much of those changes stemmed from TWR’s experience in European Touring Cars. Just four years later, TWR Sport became the joint venture JaguarSport and developed the legendary XJ220 prototype and road car. Other highlights of TWR and TWR Sport include the creation of Holden Special Vehicles, the Renault Clio V6, Saab 9-3 Viggen and the Aston Martin DB7. Sadly, its namesake, Tom Walkinshaw, passed away in 2010, but the new TWR Performance is headed by his son, Fergus. He is also a racing driver and is now following in Tom’s tuner footsteps with this new venture.

The supercharged Supercat

To really follow his famous father, Fergus wanted a car that screamed “TWR” and was built as a “Super-GT” coupe – a simple tune of a modern Jaguar just wouldn’t do. What better way to do that than reach back to TWR Sport’s roots and build the ultimate XJS restomod? Under the Supercat's hood still sits a V-12 engine, but rather than be happy with "just" the stock 328 horsepower, this modern take on a TWR-tuned XJS will use a supercharger to produce 600 horsepower. This engine is then mated to a modern rarity: a six-speed manual transmission.

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The body of the beast

Channeling the original XJR-S' aerodynamic tweaks over the standard Jaguar XJS, TWR Performance brought on Khyzyl Saleem as the Supercat's designer. Saleem has worked with Ken Block and Travis Pastrana and other OEM brands on performance-focused projects before and has experience in digital and 3D concepting. One of the things that was important was not to take away from the XJS’ unique profile while also improving its aerodynamics as a Super-GT coupe utilizing carbon fiber panels.

“This project is an incredible opportunity to interpret TWRs winning legacy in today’s design language,” said Saleem in TWRs release, “In merging the requirements of Super-GT Form and racing functionality, we have created a unique identity that is instantly recognizable from its silhouette. I am proud of the work we have done to bring inspirations from TWRs performance and racing car history into this extraordinary new design.”

Another talent brought up for the Supercat design? Classic Porsche modder and expert, Magnus Walker. While Walker might be most closely related to the brand from Stuttgart, at heart he is a car guy and collector of anything automotive. “Like every collector and enthusiast, I love the Jaguar XJS as an iconic expression of a British GT,” said Walker, “TWRs uncompromising approach to delivering pure performance and driver involvement takes this to another level. I couldn’t be more proud to have contributed to this landmark statement of TWRs bold future.”

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Price and availability

The TWR Performance Supercat is set to fully debut this summer, but order books are open now with deposits of $12,513.15 required to reserve a slot. The full price will be $281,757.15 and won’t just be limited to the U.K. as TWR will offer sales to major international markets, including the U.S. Production will be limited to just 88 examples to coincide with the 1988 Le Mans win of the TWR Jaguar XJR-9.