Rare Rides: Storm the Roads With a 1994 Lister
Rare Rides broached the subject of Lister once before, with the Le Mans — a little-known and heavily modified version of the Jaguar XJS. Today’s Rare Ride is what most think of when they hear the Lister name: the Storm.
The company’s last action under Lister family ownership was cooperation with the Rootes Group in the early sixties. Lister contracted with Rootes to ready a Sunbeam Tiger for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1963. But the project didn’t last long, and was beset with issues: Rootes fell into bankruptcy around the same time as the Tiger’s engines suffered massive failures. Rootes ownership went to Chrysler in 1964 and Lister went dormant.
The brand was revived in 1986, and started development of the previously featured Le Mans. The limited run of initial cars infused the new Lister with cash, and gave ownership ideas on building a brand new sports car. A Storm brewed.
The four-person sports car entered production in 1993, and featured the largest V12 engine utilized in a production car since World War II. The Storm used a modified 7-liter Jaguar engine based on the one from the purple Silk Cut XJR-9 which raced at Le Mans. The engine’s 600 horsepower shifted through a six-speed manual. Using a monocoque chassis (and Audi 80 tail lamps), the Storm weighed in at 3,668 pounds.
Immense power allowed the Storm a top speed of 211 miles an hour, making it the fastest four-seat road car in the world. The speed was equally matched by a 1993 price tag of £220,000 ($327,580 USD, before inflation). Perhaps by design, production of the new Storm was slow; between 1993 and 1994, four Storms were produced.
Meanwhile, Lister was busy developing the Storm into a race car. The racing GTS version debuted at Le Mans in 1995, and returned as the GTL in 1997, and GT in 1999. Through different race teams and versions, the Storm raced until 2006 before tossing in the towel. Lister still exists today, and continues to modify Jaguars.
Today’s Rare Ride is one of just three Storms in existence. In nearly new condition and with 30,000 miles on the odometer, it sold in the UK in May 2018 for £150,000.
[Images: seller]
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Hmm, I didn't realize the road-legal Lister Storm was that rare. Almost unique. I guess its presence in racing (and racing games like Gran Turismo) made it more well-known than one would expect for something that rare.
The rear third doesn't look bad (thanks, Audi parts-bin lamps and coupe roof!). The front third looks like the world's worst 911 slant-nose conversion. The middle looks like a Fiero kit car. Sometimes you wonder why a car is rare. You don't wonder that with this one.