The TWR Supercat is a 600bhp, widebody Jaguar XJS that costs £225,000

An increasing number of classic car icons are being picked up by the restomod crowd, and Jaguar’s XJS is the latest to receive a radical makeover at the hands of Tom Walkinshaw Racing. Using its motorsport pedigree (which includes building the Le Mans-winning Jaguar XJR-9), TWR has taken the XJS to the very extremes of its capability, and given it a new name: the Supercat. 

The Supercat doesn’t look like any XJS that’s gone before, courtesy of bespoke, widened carbonfibre bodywork, new headlights and turbofan wheels. The design has been informed by CFD testing, with a front splitter, rear diffuser and ducktail spoiler helping to keep the Supercat stable at speed. Useful given that it uses a 600bhp supercharged V12…

Specifics of the powertrain haven’t been announced, but TWR has confirmed that the engine will be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. The chassis, meanwhile, has been heavily developed from the XJS platform, with technical expertise from ex-Porsche, McLaren and Ferrari engineers. 

The project has been led by Fergus Walkinshaw – son of TWR founder Tom – who said: ‘After more than two years of extensive design, engineering and development work, we are proud to unveil the design of TWR’s debut product. The outcome is a true drivers’ Super-GT built from the foundations of the iconic Jaguar XJS’.

According to the firm, the Supercat has been designed to be capable on track as well as the road, made possible thanks to its extra body rigidity, reduced drag and significant weight saving over the standard XJS.

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In reference to the XJR-9’s 1988 Le Mans victory, just 88 examples of the Supercat will be built, each with personalised design and trim elements according to customer requests. The price? £225,000 excluding taxes, which will undoubtedly increase depending on customisation options. 

First deliveries will commence towards the end of this year, following the Supercat’s public debut this summer.