TAXI!

HAVING DRIVEN plenty ofsupercharged XJs over the years, I admit to being overly confident, perhaps verging on cocky, when I climb into this 2012 Supersport 5.0. Even the roll cage and tight bucket seats that change the interior’s character don’t deter me. If there’s one car I feel comfortable to drive quickly, it’s the X351-generation XJ.

I was so wrong.

Because of the 5.0-litre V8’s almost unlimited amounts of power and the car’s considerable bulk, driving the big saloon through Castle Combe’s tight corners is (probably) more physical than wrestling a bear, making it a very different experience from driving a supercharged XJ on the road. And, for that matter, the first time I was a passenger in this very car almost ten years ago.

I brake hard, the car uncomfortably squirrelling from side-to-side as I do

In 2012, Jaguar revealed a slightly modified XJ Supersport. Called the Ring Taxi, it was designed to give three passengers a first-hand