Jaguar XE SV Project 8: Jaguar’s Pinnacle Sport Sedan [News]

[photo: JLR]
Jaguar have just officially released the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, their most impressive sport sedan to date. Project 8 is the successor to Project 7, a Jaguar F-Type which Land Rover-Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) group got their hands on. Much like the last car this sedan is the SVO group’s attempt to take a sport sedan and turn the dial up to 11, while also satisfying the collector crowd with only 300 units to be produced.

Powertrain

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 has Jaguar’s long-used 5.0-liter supercharged V8. However, SVO have tuned this motor to 592 horsepower and 516 lb-ft. of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, able to shift in as little as 200 milliseconds. All in all, this powertrain can send the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 to 60 MPH in 3.3 seconds, and will continue onto a top speed of 200 MPH.

Modifications

This hand-built vehicle has undergone numerous modifications to prepare it for track use. It seems like there is not much bodywork that they haven’t changed. Among the list of changes is a carbon fiber bumper, a vented carbon fiber hood, flared fenders, an adjustable front splitter, a flat underbody, a rear carbon fiber bumper, a rear diffuser, and an adjustable spoiler.

The Project 8 has also been given a set of carbon ceramic brakes, to help slow the Project 8 down from its 200 MPH top speed.

The car will come in left-hand-drive only and will feature two seating options. You can have four seats if you live in the US, or you can opt for just two bucket seats with racing harnesses, so long as you are outside of the US.

Furthermore, the Jaguar Project 8 features two-setting height adjustable suspension. There is the standard ride height for road use and an optional 15mm drop for use on the track.

Regardless of interior seating options, this Jag will also be the first to feature a true track mode. This driving mode adjusts the driveline and stability control systems for track use, and sharpens both throttle and steering responses.

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is set to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on Friday, June 30th. Pricing has not been announced, but given the extremely limited production run, you can guarantee it won’t be cheap. Maybe we will learn some more after the car’s debut at Goodwood.

Until then, why not see what we think of the car that this 592 horsepower monster is based on, the Jaguar XE: