The TWR Supercat is a bonkers 650-hp Jaguar XJS restomod

British motorsports firm TWR is being reborn as a low-volume automaker—and this way-hot restomod is its first offeringThe Jaguar XJS-based Supercar cranks the original V12’s wick up by a factor of two, to 650 hpJust 88 examples are being made, at a cost of CDN$400,000 each—not including the cost of the donor XJS

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Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) first teased its new Supercat restomid in April with a set of striking renders. Now the motorsports-outfit-turned-boutique-carmaker is back with the finished product, and it’s every bit as wild as the drawings suggested. The TWR Supercat is a reimagined Jaguar XJS with a supercharged V12, over 600 horses under the hood, and RWD — all key ingredients for an adrenaline-charged driving experience.

The Supercat retains the signature sloping roofline and general proportions of the XJS, but everything else has been dialed up several notches. The bodywork, for one, is fashioned from carbon-fibre and incorporates exaggerated wheel arches, a massive rear diffuser, and a ducktail spoiler into its overall design. The car’s stance is rounded off with an oversized front splitter that looks as though it could cut through steel; and a hood peppered with several functional vents.

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Khyzyl Saleem, an artist famous for his creative renders of neoclassic cars, was responsible for the styling of the Supercat. “I’m very inspired by the ’70s and ’80s era – IMSA, Trans Am, Group A touring cars – but also original Jaguar design — the XJR-9, XJR-15, and most importantly, the XJ220,” he said. Those influences clearly shine through in the Supercat’s aggressive design, prioritizing function over form and complete with box arches, aero-disc wheels, multiple cutouts, and functional aero flaps.

The interior lacks rear seats, sacrificed for a bigger boot space. Modern touches include the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibilities; and a digital dash that mimics the look of the one in the original XJS.

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The Supercat’s pièce de résistance, however, is its formidable V12 heart. The power unit starts out as an original 5.3-litre unit as used in the XJS, but the capacity has been increased to 5.6 litres. Then, the engineering team fitted a new cylinder head, valve train, and billet cams before topping it off with a supercharger. The result is a V12 engine that cranks out over 650 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, more than twice the power output of the original XJS. That power will be fed exclusively to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission, which will no doubt delight the purists.

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The 2025 TWR Supercat’s V12 engine Photo by TWR

Official performance figures are yet to be released, but the Supercat’s 1,500-kg (3,300-lb) weight suggests a power-to-weight ratio of about 430 hp per tonne—comparable to the latest Aston Martin Vantage.

The TWR Supercat will be limited to 88 examples, the production-run cap referencing the TWR Jaguar Le Mans win of 1988. Each example will cost about CDN$400,000 (£225,000) excluding taxes and the donor XJS vehicle.

Tom Walkinshaw Racing is a legendary name in British motorsport circles, responsible for the Jaguar prototype racers that scored important victories at Le Mans in 1988 and 1990. The outfit folded in 2002, but is now poised for a resurgence under the leadership of Tom’s son, Fergus Walkinshaw. The TWR Supercat may be TWR’s first creation as it flags off a new era, but co-founder John Kane says there’s more in the works. “TWR had many different affiliations over the years,” says Kane, “so there are some others in the pipeline, already thought about, already in design.”

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