Not all Jaguar XJ40s remain equal. Certainly not if Lister got its hands on it. The Jaguar’s peak of around 300bhp in its XJ40 V12 was left far, far behind: Lister apparently doubled it to more than 600bhp. According to one period magazine, it clocked in at 604bhp on the dyno.
‘Apparently’ and ‘according to’ features heavily in the story of the Lister XJ12 because so much is unknown. The car, ‘FKK 98’, is thought to be unique and was supposedly first owned by Sir John Hall. The same Sir John Hall who owned and revived Newcastle United in the 1990s and whose Newcastle United badge was splashed across the front of the Lister Storm in international GT racing.
This, then, was his business limousine by Lister, with Cosworth forged pistons among a host of other updates that combined to produce that eye-watering output and more than 600lb ft of torque. Naturally, it’s a manual, too, with uprated Brembo brakes to try to stop that doubled power when it has a head of steam.
All of which cost just shy of £70,000 in 1993, halfway to a new Ferrari F40. The base car was not included in that outlay, the purchase of which would have taken the car past the £100,000 mark.
In recent times, the Lister has taken a star turn in a film of the same name, made by its latest custodian, George Howson, and his formerly Bicester Motion-based Petroleum & Co production firm.
The Lister XJ12 will be among contemporaries in Hangar 113 at The Great British Jaguar Day on Saturday 23 May – tickets are available now.