Behind the wheel of Lister’s Ferrari-beater

25 years ago, this Surrey machine fought the F40

Ask someone to name supercars from the early-’90s and you’ll probably get a list of the usual suspects: Ferrari F40; Honda NSX; McLaren F1; Lamborghini Diablo.

There's a British-built, near-600bhp supercar missing from that list, though. One capable of ferrying four people to 200mph. One built in Surrey.

The Lister Storm gave the '90s supercar elite something to think about when it launched 25 years ago. It was – and is – an eccentric, absurd and controversial performance car.

Just four were ever built for the road – and they're far better to drive than you might think.

Absolute shocker

25 years have elapsed since the Lister Storm broke cover in 1993, yet it still has the power to shock. 

The moment you first see it is a dramatic one: this is a car that assaults the eyes, assails the ears and bludgeons the senses – all while redefining your concept of weirdness.

Fabled name

Its story began in 1984, when Jaguar specialist Laurence Pearce was granted permission to use the revered Lister name by Brian Lister himself.

After several outrageous XJ-S conversions, Pearce decided to make a fresh chassis for the existing 7-litre Jaguar V12 engine.

Kevlar all round

The basis for this bold new machine was a monocoque chassis, with thin aluminium sheets sandwiching a honeycomb centre section. 

A Kevlar roof and outer skin – including wings, bonnet, bootlid and bumpers – was bolted on, with steel only appearing in the inner doors (pinched from a VW Corrado).

Heart of the beast

Fully adjustable double-wishbone suspension was added front and rear, while the heart of the beast was Lister’s proven, Jaguar-derived V12 engine – complete with twin Albrecht superchargers. 

This mighty unit was mated to a six-speed Getrag gearbox borrowed from the BMW 850i, which also donated its rear axle.

All angles

The shape of the car was largely dictated by the method of construction, with the honeycomb/aluminium material not being the easiest to bend into curves.

The solution? Make the whole machine out of flat sheets. The result? An angular, absurd creation designed in part by graphic artist Mike Hughes.

Big numbers

Unveiled at the ’93 London Motor Show, the Storm instantly caused a furore – as much for its radical outline as for its claimed power output: the 7-litre V12 was reportedly good for a whopping 594bhp and a 0-100mph time of 11 seconds.

Eighteen months after the car was launched, those claims were independently matched by Autocar.

Built for the road

With such vast power at its disposal, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Storm was built to race.

In fact, the company only took it to the track because, surprisingly, there was a limited market for a road car with the engine of a Group C Jaguar racer.

Circuit success

The Storm first appeared at Le Mans in 1995 in GT1 form, after a last-minute effort to get it to the French circuit – though it retired 40 laps in.

Variant of the variant

An updated GTS variant then emerged for the 1996, some 200kg lighter and with the engine sited further back.

Racing revisions

Further revisions followed, with the GTL in ’97 and a new GT2-spec Storm GT in 1999. 

Works and privateer cars cleaned up in the 2000 British GT Championship, taking eight wins, followed in 2001 by Lister Storming Racing claiming seven wins.

Rare on the road

What of the road cars? Just four were built and only three examples of the nutty machine are known to survive. 

Pictured is the original prototype, displayed at the Earls Court show in 1993.

Borrowed bits

Viewed up close, it defies description: there’s no aesthetic pedestrianism here, just a visual cacophony of odd angles and even stranger proportions. 

Besides the Jaguar motor, it uses Lotus Elan indicators, Audi 80/90 tail-light clusters and the headlights are said to be from a Lotus Éclat – except here the lids flip down rather than up.

Uniquely striking

The best thing you can say about the Storm’s styling is that you cannot possibly mistake it for anything else. The leather-trimmed interior, on the other hand, is positively normal.

Inside matters

It’s a genuine four-seater and a comfortable one at that – even if the vast transmission tunnel encroaches into the available legroom and the doors don’t open wide enough to give easy access.

Careful footwork

The instrumentation and switchgear is familiar, too – BMW mostly – but it’s neatly integrated to the point that it doesn’t scream ‘parts bin’. 

If there is a major criticism, it’s the offset pedals that are close-coupled to the point where it’s easy to press the middle pedal in the belief that it’s the clutch.

Endless pace

That the Storm is quick comes as no great surprise – but it’s the way the car gathers momentum that takes your breath away: the speed builds, builds and then builds some more. 

Lightning fast

The Storm weighs in at 1664kg but feels much lighter. Acceleration is visceral, with no hesitation, no fluffing, popping or banging, just an unbridled release of horsepower.

It’s all eye-widening, knot-in-the-stomach stuff – and there are no get-out-of-jail-free driver aids. 

Grippy stuff

That said, it also feels utterly docile and user-friendly once you’ve become accustomed to the colossal amount of power.

The rapid steering feels precise and nicely weighted and it’s doubtful you would get so much as a chirrup from the massive Michelin tyres without venturing on track. 

Smooth and stable

The surprising part is how well it copes with rutted topography, given the wide rubber and low ride height. There are several modern-day performance saloons that have worse ride quality. 

The Storm certainly feels stiff, but it isn’t easily deflected by mid-corner bumps and there are no creaks or rattles through the structure. 

Happy to potter

As a package, the Storm really is revelatory. Given the car’s success in motorsport, you expect it to be a polished performer – but the telling part is how well it potters. 

You can leave it in sixth and it will amble along quite happily. There’s no writhing through the wheel, no tramlining, no bottoming out or low-speed chuntering.

One to remember

On track, this child of Surrey took on the GT elite and beat them. It never did the same on the road, but that wasn’t for lack of trying.

The egregious price and contentious styling didn’t help, but the Storm deserves a degree of reverence. After all, the border between eccentricity and brilliance is often blurred.