Even though the Project 9 is coming, Jaguar took the time to race the wheels off the Project 8 at the world’s most notorious racing circuit. This time around, the compact executive sedan managed to cut 2.9 seconds off the previous record set in November of 2017.
For the 20.832-kilometer loop in the Eifel mountains, the XE SV Project 8 needed 7 minutes and 23.164 seconds as well as off-the-shelf Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires. An impressive feat in its own right, but on the other hand, this is an impressive car with little in common to the XE as we know it.
“The original Nurburgring time set by Jaguar XE SV Project 8 demonstrated the extreme performance envelope of the world’s fastest production sedan, but the SV team is driven by a motorsport mentality and we knew Project 8 could go even faster,” said Jamal Hameedi, engineering director at SVO. “This new official record time is a fitting reward for everyone who has played a part in pushing the boundaries for our customers with Project 8.”
A supercharged V8 with 5.0 liters of displacement serves as the beating heart of the British bruiser, packing 600 metric horsepower and capable of thrusting the car to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. Production of the Project 8 will come to a conclusion this year, and for the time being, three specifications are offered.
The lightweight two-seat Track Pack is the most hardcore, as used for the record lap times in 2017 and 2019. The four-seat configuration is available with the aero package and performance of the Track Pack, and for customers who’re interested in on-road driving more than track days, the Touring comes with a fixed rear spoiler. The latter is limited to 15 examples worldwide, featuring a top speed of 186 mph.
Pricing in the United Kingdom for the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 starts at £149,995, a far cry from the £33,915 starting price of the Jaguar XE.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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