{"id":2035132,"date":"2026-07-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2035132"},"modified":"2026-07-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T21:00:00","slug":"twr-supercat-review-more-fun-than-riding-a-giant-jelly-down-a-waterslide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2035132","title":{"rendered":"TWR Supercat review: \u201cmore fun than riding a giant jelly down a waterslide\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It\u2019s not got any less dramatic to look at, has it?<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a brutal piece of design, the\u00a0TWR Supercat<\/a>. But as we\u2019ll find out, that theme runs through the whole car. Maybe not that surprising when the centrepiece is a supercharged V12 and the gears are manual, but let\u2019s park that for now and start with the way it looks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not sophisticated, is it?<\/h3>\n

Absolutely not, but it wasn\u2019t intended to be a modern, polished piece of design, because this restomod doesn’t set out to honour the Jaguar XJ-S, but to riff on it in a very particular way. One that harks straight back to the 1980s, with a side hint of Group A racing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It could almost not be a restomod at all, but the work of Janspeed or Lister or\u00a0Koenig Specials<\/a> \u2013 or indeed TWR themselves \u2013 from back then. At a push, and in the\u00a0era of the XJ220<\/a>, it could have been Jag\u2019s mighty swansong to the XJ-S.<\/p>\n

Was the XJ-S ever sporty?<\/h3>\n

No, never. Okay, there was the XJR-S which sported a 6.0-litre 328bhp V12 and was developed in conjunction with \u2013 surprise, surprise \u2013 TWR in its original incarnation. But it still had a three-speed auto.<\/p>\n

What this does is give the XJ-S specifically (and Jaguar more generally) a kick up the wotsits and remind people there’s more to old Jags than\u00a0E-Types<\/a>. This is a hardcore take on the gentleman’s cruiser. Where most restomods are calm, sympathetic updates, thoughtfully enhanced to reflect the original, I can\u2019t think of a car that has travelled further between what it was and what it is now. Because the Supercat is XJ-S by the Sex Pistols.<\/p>\n

Not like the source material was much good was it?<\/h3>\n

This is a point worth making. There is a reason why so many restomod companies settle on old Porsches as their start point. They were really good in the first place. The XJ-S, er, wasn\u2019t. Rust, electrics, build quality, the usual British Leyland story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I don\u2019t want to dwell for too long on the lengths TWR has had to go to in order to create the Supercat, as we\u2019ve covered that before, but here\u2019s a quick precis. An original XJ-S V12 is the donor. It\u2019s stripped down and all that\u2019s kept is the chassis and engine block. That ensures the car keeps its original identity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The only other original XJ-S parts used are the door handles inside and out, the windscreen wiper assembly, the handbrake lever and the rear lights. The chassis is massively reinforced. A roll cage is welded in, plus new crash structures, front subframe and rear bulkhead. The design is the work of Khyzyl Saleem, the body panels are carbon, created for TWR by Progressive Technology, one of the biggest suppliers to F1 teams.<\/p>\n

But the heart of this car is the engine, right?<\/h3>\n

Block aside, it’s essentially new from the ground up, a 5.6-litre V12 developing 660bhp and 538lb ft. First thing to mention: it looks stunning under the bonnet. The bodywork may be divisive, but not what lies beneath, long cylinder banks with a Rotrex supercharger nestling between them, intake plenums curving over, carbon pipework down the centre. It is glorious to behold.<\/p>\n

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\"TWR<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Press the start button and there\u2019s a whine as it catches. V12s are naturally smooth, so there\u2019s no V8 throb here, instead a raspy yowl. The powertrain is the best thing about this car. Supercharged V12s have been so rare across automotive history that you can count on, er, one finger how many times it\u2019s been done before. And it was an XJ-S. Lister did a 7.0-litre 604bhp twin supercharged conversion back in 1991. Okay, there were stories that owners of Auburn 12 Speedsters retro-fitted superchargers, but that\u2019s going back nearly 100 years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This gives the Supercat a unique selling point, because it turns out V12 and supercharger work very nicely together. Their voices blend together harmoniously, the sound unlike almost anything else. There\u2019s a bit of\u00a0Lambo V12<\/a> in there, a bit of Pagani too, and\u00a0quite a lot of Mark Riccioni\u2019s old Mercedes S600<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Is it all about the noise?<\/h3>\n

There\u2019s plenty of power \u2013 660bhp pushing 1,650kg ensures that \u2013 but there\u2019s even more sound and drama. This is a car that, unlike almost all moderns, feels faster than it actually is. You\u2019ll drop the windows to hear those side pipes bounce tunes back off every surface, hedgerows included. Windows up there\u2019s volume aplenty. You can turn the hifi up as loud as you like (there\u2019s CarPlay in here) but it\u2019ll make no difference once the rev needle sweeps past 4,000 because the V12 will dominate.<\/p>\n

The noise enhances the sense of speed, and so does the chassis. This is not a super-polished performer that aims to give you the manners of a new supercar in a retro package. There\u2019s still a fair bit of general noise and commotion from tyres, suspension and so on. It can cruise and you can talk to your passenger fine, but it\u2019s an occupying car to drive.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Not least because of the control weights. The clutch is heavy, the brakes are almost entirely unservoed, the steering has little assistance. It\u2019s as muscular to drive as it is to look at. At low speed even turning the steering is a wrench, but as you go faster you forget that, instead appreciate the response and feedback and decide this is the way you\u2019d want things anyway.<\/p>\n

Special mention for the Tremec six-speed gearbox, which has fabulously direct, metallic shifts. With such a wide spread of torque third gear does all you need, but shifting is fun when it\u2019s done with this much attitude. And of course it\u2019s fun to just play with the power band. Superchargers absorb a lot of engine power before they start giving back, so initially you can fool yourself into thinking you\u2019ve left the handbrake on. Not for long. Once you\u2019ve got 2,500rpm up, you\u2019re into the start of a wonderfully linear power band.<\/p>\n

Above 4,000rpm it really starts to fly and beyond 5k it\u2019s a rampant headlong surge for the 7,500rpm limiter. The pace, together with the noise and a chassis that never stops chatting demands full concentration. Lift off and there\u2019s masses of engine braking \u2013 nice, because it assists the unassisted brakes, which would otherwise demand even more pedal effort.<\/p>\n

Is it fun to drive?<\/h3>\n

More fun than riding a giant jelly down a waterslide. Okay, nearly. It\u2019s fun because it so accurately captures the spirit of the car, rather than having perfect manners. It\u2019s a car you laugh along with as it charges about, rather than taking delight in its fluent manners or steering dexterity.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a car you laugh along with as it charges about, rather than taking delight in its fluent manners or steering dexterity<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It has huge mechanical grip, is more connected and lighter on its feet than most muscle cars, but at the end of the day, that\u2019s what it is.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s still to be done?<\/h3>\n

TWR claims the car is now 99.5 per cent there (it was 80 per cent the last time we drove it<\/a>). There\u2019s a bit of clutch judder, the throttle needs some final calibration as does the suspension, the steering wheel is being changed, the split rim front wheels will be dished (and look all the better for it) and there\u2019s a few trim bits inside to sort, including the heating control surround panel.<\/p>\n

The digital dash riffs on the old XJ-S dials and looks great, the steering has plenty of adjustment, you feel comfy in here and on the whole it just about justifies the expense.\u00a0Originally it was priced at \u00a3225,000 (\u00a3270,000 with VAT)<\/a>. That felt cheap. Now it\u2019s \u00a3395,000. Plus VAT. Plus donor car. Call it \u00a3500,000 with a few options thrown in.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s much more punchy. Against that you have to put this car\u2019s sheer usability. Yes, it\u2019s enormously thirsty (11.4mpg on our shoot day, 18-20 when cruising), but a 100-litre tank means an easy 350-mile motorway range. And it\u2019s not short of luggage space. The boot is vast, and there\u2019s a through-load facility. I can\u2019t think of many modern cars that could carry golf clubs with more ease than this. Road-tripping? Bring it on. It\u2019s no Bentley, but it\u2019s brim full of attitude.<\/p>\n

Should I buy one?<\/h3>\n

That\u2019s the \u00a3500,000 question, isn\u2019t it? It\u2019s not going to be your first car, or possibly even your tenth, so money won\u2019t be the problem. If you\u2019re used to modern stuff or even Singer\/Eagle-level restomods (although they basically operate in a class of two), there are a few rough edges here that will take some getting used to. But this is a brutish car, they\u2019re part of the Supercat\u2019s charm.<\/p>\n

Photography: <\/strong>Jonny Fleetwood<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not got any less dramatic to look at, has it? It\u2019s a brutal piece of design, the\u00a0TWR Supercat. But as we\u2019ll find out, that theme runs through the whole car. Maybe not that surprising when the centrepiece is a supercharged V12 and the gears are manual, but let\u2019s park that for now and start […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-2035132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2035132"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2035132\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2035132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2035132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2035132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}