One of the world’s rarest supercars was found abandoned and rotting away in Beirut
- This was once the fastest production car in the world
- It is quite rare since only 275 units were ever made
- Read more to find out the true story behind this supercar
Published on Aug 13, 2024 at 12:02 PM (UTC+4)
by Nalin Rawat
Last updated on Aug 23, 2024 at 7:16 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
In 2010, one of the world’s rarest supercars was found abandoned and left to rot in Beirut.
The car in the photo is a Jaguar XJ220, left outside to rot at the mercy of the elements.
It’s a gut-wrenching sight for any enthusiast who knows about this fantastic machine.
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Jaguar XJ220
Produced in the early 90s, the Jaguar XJ220 was among the fastest and the most desirable cars in the world.
Nowadays, it is also counted as one of the world’s rarest supercars.
Although the McLaren F1 remains a favorite for 90s supercar collectors, the Jaguar XJ220 holds a special place because of that rarity.
The original model of the supercar recorded a top speed of 349 km/h (217 mph) during testing by Jaguar at the Nardo test track in Italy.
This made the Jaguar XJ220 the fastest production car in the world for a short period of time.
However, it was eventually surpassed by the McLaren F1 with a max speed of 386.4 km/h (240.1 mph).
Unfortunately, Jaguar made some changes to the production model of the car.
They replaced the V12 motor from the concept car with a twin-turbocharged V6 and changed the four-wheel drive to a rear wheel drive.
This proved quite controversial and many would-be buyers took Jaguar to court.
In the end, only a few hundred models of the Jaguar XJ220 were ever built. As a result, it is now quite rare and counts among the world’s rarest supercars.
World’s rarest supercars left to rot
The car in these photos was last seen in Beirut after being sold to a customer by the Jaguar Dealer in Dubai.
However, in 2010, the car was recognized by Mick Bramley, who took these photos for CrankAndPiston.com.
Bramley had kept track of all 220s that he worked on and recognized the Jaguar XJ220 when he saw the number plate.
What’s even more sad is that the car only had 900km on the clock six years after it was sold, so it was barely driven.
Nalin started his career by working with various national newspapers in India. He has also worked as a writer/editor for many popular websites, while still pursuing his journalism and mass communication degree. Working as a digital nomad has allowed him to inform and educate through his work. When he is not writing, you can find him playing video games or travelling the mountains on his bike.
