The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is the holder of a number of lap records all over the world, and now it's claimed another... from itself.
That's right, Jaguar's super mad saloon has beaten its own four-door saloon lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife by lapping the 12.8-mile track in 7 minutes and 18.361 seconds – 2.9 seconds quicker than before.
The AMG Is Slower, But It Does Have Rear Seats:
For the run, the car was equipped with a production-specification two-seat Track Pack, the car’s height-adjustable twin-spring coil-over suspension was set in "track" ride height. The adjustable front splitter and carbon fiber rear aerodynamic wing positioned for maximum downforce and stability. What's more, a set of new off-the-shelf ultra-high performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires was also fitted to the car.
"The original Nürburgring 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 for Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations. "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."
The Project 8 was developed by Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicles operations division, and while it is based on the standard XE's lightweight aluminum-intensive monocoque, it is anything but normal. Just 300 will be made, all hand-built at JLR's SV Technical Centre in Coventry, and have especially been modified to accommodate Jaguar's 5.0-liter V8 engine and a bespoke rear differential.
It is the quickest, most powerful road-legal car ever made by Jaguar. Powered by a fire-breathing 592-hp supercharged V8, it can launch from 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) in a supercar-like 3.3 sec and go on to a (limited) top speed of 200 mph (322 kph).
Records, Records Everywhere:
Gallery: Jaguar Project 8 beats own Nurburgring record
JAGUAR XE SV PROJECT 8, THE WORLD’S FASTEST SALOON CAR, BEATS ITS OWN NÜRBURGRING NORDSCHLEIFE RECORD
- Jaguar’s 200mph, 600PS performance sedan lowers the fastest Nürburgring time for a four-door production car to 7min 18.361sec on 20.6km Nordschleife lap
- Project 8 development driver Vincent Radermecker returns to legendary German circuit and cuts 2.9 seconds off his previous fastest time, set in November 2017
- Brand-new official record also set for the whole 20.832km Nordschleife lap: 7min 23.164sec
- Officially-verified records achieved using off-the-shelf Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres
- Experience a 360-degree onboard view of XE SV Project 8’s record Nürburgring lap here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDwCaAgb3Q
- For more information on the limited-edition Project 8, visit: www.jaguar.com/project8
Fen End, UK – 24 July 2019: The Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations-developed XE SV Project 8 has demonstrated its breadth of performance capability by setting the fastest Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time for a four-door production car again: 7min 18.361sec.
This new officially-verified time on the 20.6km (12.8-mile) lap is 2.9 seconds faster than Project 8’s previous benchmark set in November 2017 and 7 seconds faster than any other four-door production car has achieved.
Project 8 is also the first vehicle to set an official whole lap record in the Nürburgring’s mid-range production car class, lapping the 20.8km (12.94-mile) circuit length in 7min 23.164sec.
Returning to the legendary German circuit in a production-specification two-seat Track Pack version of Project 8 was development driver Vincent Radermecker. The car’s height-adjustable twin-spring coil-over suspension was set in ‘track’ ride height, with adjustable front splitter and carbonfibre rear aerodynamic wing positioned for maximum downforce and stability.
To maximise performance and steering precision, for the final record runs Project 8 was fitted with new off-the-shelf ultra-high performance Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres. Tested and chosen by SV engineers for their capability on the track, the road-legal tyres use rubber compounds directly transferred from Michelin’s competition tyres.
Jamal Hameedi, Engineering Director, Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations, said: “The original Nürburgring 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. 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.”
Powered by the most highly tuned 600PS version of Jaguar’s 5.0-litre Supercharged V8, the all-wheel-drive Project 8 is capable of 0-60mph in 3.3 seconds (0-100km/h in 3.7 seconds) and a top speed of 200mph (320km/h). Project 8 also features a fully-enclosed flat underbody for enhanced aerodynamics, which is key to its performance.
Production of the limited-edition Project 8 will finish this year. There are three distinct four-door specifications available:
- Lightweight two-seat Track Pack* – as used for the record lap times
- Four-seat configuration with same aero package and performance as Track Pack
- Touring specification with discreet fixed rear spoiler – the ultimate Q-car, limited to 15 examples worldwide and 186mph.
Prices for the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 start from £149,995 in the UK. For more information, and to find your nearest Jaguar Retailer, visit: www.jaguar.co.uk/project8