The TWR Supercat Looks Like a Spectacular Jaguar XJ-S Restomod

Restomod builders often return to the same familiar models, so it is nice to see a new one being added to the list. The Jaguar XJ-S, which was built all the way between 1975 and 1996, has long since graduated to being an almost-classics, especially the brawnier versions that feature V-12 power. Now, another name from Jaguar's past—TWR—is creating this muscular carbon-bodied reinterpretation: the Supercat.

Not that this TWR has any legal connection to its more famous predecessor. The original Tom Walkinshaw Racing outfit enjoyed considerable success in touring car and sports prototype racing, especially with Jaguar. It was later involved in the creation of road cars including the Jaguar XJ220, Aston Martin DB7, the mid-engined Renault Clio V6, and even the first-generation Volvo C70. But TWR overstretched itself with the purchase of the Arrows Formula 1 team, going bankrupt in 2002. Founder Tom Walkinshaw, who had been a successful race driver in the ‘seventies and ‘eighties, died in 2010. One of his most spectacular drives was, appropriately enough, in a TWR-engineered XJ-S at the 1985 Bathurst 1000 in Australia.

The new iteration of TWR is no longer an acronym, the company having been founded by Fergus Walkinshaw, Tom’s son, and business partner Tom Kane.

The XJ-S-based Supercat features what will be carbon fiber bodywork designed by Khyzyl Saleem, creator of numerous rendered (and real) restomods and reinterpretations of contemporary cars. While the renderings that have been released look spectacular, it seems likely that a production version will either need to have a higher front splitter, or a nose-lift kit. Hirsute fashion designer and well-known Porsche 911 fanatic, Magnus Walker is also credited as a consultant for the project.

TWR claims the Supercat will use a supercharged V-12 engine making ‘in excess’ of 600hp, and also that it will have a manual transmission. For those of us who have actually experienced manual versions of the regular XJ-S, that sounds closer to a threat than a promise. TWR says that the Supercat will be offered in both Europe and the U.S., with total production limited to 88. Deliveries are due to start in the last quarter of the year with pricing from £225,000 ($285,000 at current exchange rates). A figure that looks pretty reasonable by the standards of high-end restomods.

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