Any mention of the Jaguar XJ220 will illicit responses that’ll cover the full spectrum of human emotions. Built in 1992 as a science project of sorts, the XJ220->ke1206 became one of the first cars to really live up to its supercar label. Sure, the McLaren F1 was and continues to be regarded as the godfather of the modern-day supercar,->ke177 but before the F1->ke1159 burst into the scene, it was the XJ220 that held the title of fastest car in the world. You would think that such a distinction has given the Jag “iconic” status within the industry, and for the most part it has, but as we find out in the latest episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage”, the XJ220’s history isn’t as straightforward and is bit more complicated than any other supercar built in its era.

One such example of the XJ220 paid Leno a visit with its owner, Philip Sarofin. Together, the two discuss the rather eventful history of the XJ220 dating back to its early years in development all the way to its modern-day status as one of the most misunderstood supercars of all time. Sarofin’s XJ220 even has quite the history of its own, as the owner only acquired the supercar in July 2015 after the previous owner kept it on the 37th floor of his office building in Tokyo for the past 12 years without even driving it.

For the most part, the XJ220 doesn’t have the lasting legacy of the F1. Leno and Sarofin even described it as an “oddity”, a word nobody would ever use to describe the F1. So the question is: why doesn’t the XJ220 occupy the same type of reverence as the F1? Leno and Sarofin spent the majority of the episode discussing that and without spoiling anything, the two tackle a number of issues and controversies that plagued the XJ220.

It’s an enlightening episode on one of the world’s most misunderstood supercars and definitely worthy of the next 12 minutes of your time.

Jaguar XJ220

Read our full review on the Jaguar XJ220 here.