A few weeks ago Jaguar surprised us with the announcement of Project 8. Upon further reading we found out this was going to be the most powerful Jaguar ever built. Bring it on!
So they did, and today we got the first look and listen (most important part) of this rather bonkers version of the Jaguar XE. We are not disappointed either, the look, stance, sound and technical readouts of this limited production car make for exciting reading.
The Project 8, well here it is. The first thing you notice is the looks, the grille has a drilled race car look, the rear wing is fixed and we are talking about essentially a four door family saloon here. Then you have the engine, its the 5.0 litre V8 turning out 600 ps propelling it to 60 mph from standstill in 3.3 seconds.
The extensive use of the already light aluminium chassis combined with carbon fibre helped this car reach the performance targets that were set. This is also a hand built car at the companies SVO department, this is a collection piece priced and built accordingly only 300 will be built and prices start at £149,995.
The second SVO project sees this car become the fastest most powerful road going Jaguar produced to date. 200 mph and 0 – 60 times that make this car less recognisable from the compact saloon we have come to know over the last few years.
Ian Callum takes you through the thinking behind creating this car and the subtle yet dramatic changes in this short video
SVO’s raison d’être is to produce halo vehicles that push the boundaries in terms of luxury, performance and all-terrain capability. Project 8 is a great example of what happens when enthusiastic designers, engineers and manufacturing specialists are given the opportunity to create an extreme performance sports car without compromise. Project 8 will be assembled by hand in the new SVO Technical Centre, and we’re confident that our enthusiastic and demanding clients will love driving Project 8 as much we do!John Edwards, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations Managing Director
The powerplant
Project 8 exclusively features the most highly tuned version of Jaguar Land Rover’s 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 petrol powertrain. The 600PS power unit, which has a Titanium Variable Active Exhaust, is complemented by Jaguar’s All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system and motorsport-derived aerodynamics to deliver a 200mph top speed and 0-60mph in 3.3sec*, making Project 8 the fastest accelerating Jaguar yet. What truly captures the imagination though is the noise. The whine of the supercharger is captivating, it makes you want to get behind the wheel and put your foot down, slow down and put your foot down again. Your passenger will be feeling seasick with the constant on – off of accelerator action, while the driver will have the look of a loony addicted to the noise (That may just be me). If you want to know what I mean, check the launch video out.
Track Car
This is a new market for Jaguar, track spec cars. In a first for Jaguar the car features a “Track Mode” and track spec options. What do these do? Lets start by looking at the Track Spec options. For this you get two seats, no rear seats, lightweight front Carbon Fibre Racing Seats with Four-Point Harnesses fixed to a Harness Retention Hoop in place of the rear seat.
The car also features the Track Mode, this tailors driveline and stability control systems for circuit use, and sharpens both throttle and steering responses for ultimate precision and driver feedback.
This car is built for drivers, drivers who appreciate the involvement of a responsive car.
