16 Mar 06
Jaguar's XJ220 was a bit of a disaster for the company and was even more of a disaster for those who brought it. Even before it was launched, put-out owners were taking the company to court, wanting out. They'd been promised V12 engines, four-wheel drive, the whole shebang. They got a rear-drive chassis powered by a V6 turbo from the Metro 6R4. Hmm.
The fallout continues, too; from a list price of £400,000 back then, we saw one on Auto Trader (of all places), up at £109,000. And it was right-hand-drive, with just 4,500 miles on the clock. It's cheaper per mph of top speed than a Porsche 911 Turbo.
Speaking of Porsches, the 959 was a depreciator, every one of them. For Porsche, that is. Rumour is the German maker lost £150,000 on everyone built. And how many did it build? 230. Thank goodness it clawed some of that back by using the four-wheel-drive technology in the 964 911 Carrera 4.
Early 80s tabloid reports of CRUMBS! RUST SHOCK! in Lancia Betas effectively condemned each to used-market worthlessness almost immediately (well, all except the Integrale; how 1991 3-series-shunning Dedra buyers wished the Motorsport effect had spread more widely). Blame the tabloids for the reason we don't see Lancia in the UK today although back then, the tears were of despair, as the Austin Rover dealer gave a pitiful trade-in for an 18-month-old Beta against 'Britain's best', the Austin Maestro.
Talking of 'Britain's best', pity owners of MGs and Rovers today. After the collapse of the company last year, values initially held up. Now, they've crashed. The TF is down to around 30% after three years, from 45% plus, while all the cars are dangerously close to dipping below 20%. For the 75/ZT in particular, that's an absolute travesty and a great chance to make a killing on what is still, after all, a very able car. The joys of depreciation and the treasures it can bring. Sure, at somebody else's expense, but hey, we're only human.
