Former Sultan of Brunei Jaguar XJ220 for sale

Maybe one day there’ll be a documentary about the Sultan of Brunei. It’s impossible not to be intrigued by one person who’s so wealthy and so secretive, yet also so well known. Now in his 80s and the world’s longest serving monarch (having ascended to the throne in 1967), the life of Hassanal Bolkiah Muiz’zaddin Wad’daulah is nothing if not interesting. And with the oil money still coming… 

Between him and brother Jefri Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien III, they’re responsible for one of the world’s great car collections. Or they once were, at least; so shrouded in secrecy is the regime that it’s not clear exactly what remains. But the claims of more than 2,000 cars, including multiple Bugatti EB110s and Ferrari F40s, feel eminently believable. Back in the ’90s it was suggested that the royal family of Brunei’s extravagant commissions kept the lights on at some smaller manufacturers; a pre-VW Bentley must have appreciated building six Dominator SUVs at a rumoured cost of more than four million dollars each…

Clearly, then, this is a man (or a pair of brothers) who would have had an XJ220. The rumour is they bought 10 McLaren F1s, so one super Jag would have to be there as well. No late 20th-century supercar collection would have been complete without a ‘220, and the one you see here once resided in Brunei. 

As happened with so many of their cars, the Jag wasn’t used very much at all. It sits on just 2,656 miles today, almost 35 years after it was built.  While it’s not clear exactly how much time this Spa Silver example spent in Brunei, it was first registered in the UK in 2002, where it has remained since. The digital MOT records show the mileage creeping up every year for the past two decades. 

As might be expected for a XJ220 that’s been cared for by Jaguar Classic of late and has averaged less than 100 miles a year, this is an exquisite example. It looks just how you remember it from TV as a kid 30 years ago: low, sleek and very silver, absolutely huge and yet so graceful with it. And boasting one of the dreariest supercar interiors ever seen. But at least here showing precious few signs of wear at all. 

Having been with its current owner since 2018, this very special XJ220 is now for sale with JLR Classic. One of just 275 made in a short two-year production run, the asking price is £549,950. Some way from where they were a decade ago, if still pocket change (relatively speaking) for a ’90s supercar hero. We live in a world where a Diablo can command half a million and a 993 not much less, so similar money for a car that was once the fastest in the world – and which makes an F40 look as common as a 348 – doesn’t seem absurd. Especially one with the most interesting backstory of all.