12 Banned Cars And How Much They’re Actually Worth Today – SlashGear

Despite its groundbreaking speed and sleek design, the XJ220 supercar was a complete sales flop for Jaguar. When the concept was first unveiled, it sported a V12 engine and four-wheel drive, and it caused a storm at the 1988 British International Motor Show. Buyers queued up to put deposits down, but the trouble was, Jag hadn’t planned to ever make a production run in the first place. Still, it accepted the orders and got to work. After four years of intense development, the finished product looked similar to the concept, but that was where the similarities ended. Gone were the V12 and four-wheel drive, replaced by a twin-turbo V6 and a traditional rear-wheel drive layout.

The final cost had also shot up significantly, making the XJ220 pretty much the most expensive new car on sale. As a result, plenty of disgruntled buyers ended up canceling their orders, and Jaguar never managed to complete its intended production run of 350 cars. Only 282 were sold, and facing such significant losses, it was decided that it wasn’t worth even trying to launch the car in America. Without the relevant documentation, the car was de facto banned for 25 years, and it’s only recently that it’s become old enough to import legally. Resale values have remained relatively low over the years, with one example for sale at the time of writing for £424,995 ($510,000).