Reputedly signed off by company chairman Sir John Egan only a week before its debut at the 1988 Birmingham Auto show, the reception of Jaguar’s clandestinely developed XJ220 prototype was nothing short of rapturous.

Jaguar fever swept the show halls, and within an hour some 1,500 people had placed a pre-order for the new car, each laying down a £50,000 deposit to secure their production slot.

Among the headline-grabbing innovations was a naturally aspirated 6.2-litre V-12 engine further to four-wheel drive, rear-wheel steering, and anti-lock brakes.

All was clothed in effortlessly elegant, Helfet-styled aluminium coachwork that drew inspiration from the legendary D-Type, E-Type, and XJ13.

Jaguar and TWR subsequently established JaguarSport Ltd., which would produce the XJ220 in limited numbers at a new dedicated facility.

However, emissions compliance issues necessitated the replacement of the prototype’s V-12 engine with a 3.5-litre V-6 twin-turbo equivalent.

Additionally, the f...