Jaguar XE SV Project 8 returns to the Nordschleife to break its own record     

Two years ago, Jaguar’ development driver, Vincent Radermecker hustled the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 around the 20.6km Green Hell in a record time of 7min 21.261sec. Come 2019, Jaguar’s Project 8 team and Vincent were back with the quick sedan to put in a faster laps still, to set a benchmark for four-door sedans at the Nürburgring.

The Project 8

The record-breaking Jaguar XE SV has a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 sending all its horses to the rear wheels. The V8 motor is tuned to belt out 591bhp, which catapults the two-seater four-door sedan to 100kmph in 3.7seconds and further upwards to a top speed of 320kmph. To enhance the car’s aerodynamic efficiency and performance, it now has a fully-enclosed flat underbody. The two-seat track-spec sedan is equipped with height adjustable coil-over suspension along with an adjustable front splitter and a carbonfibre rear wing positioned for maximum downforce and stability. For the record breaking run, the SV engineers chose a brand new high performance Michelin Pilot Cup 2 R tyres which are road legal and use rubber compounds directly transferred from Michelin’s competition tyres. With all these upgrades and development, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 with Vincent behind the wheel shaved 2.9 seconds off its previous best. The fastest Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time for a four-door production car now stands at 7min 18.361sec.

Jamal Hameedi, engineering director, Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations, said, “The original Nürburgring time set by the 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.”

Production of the limited-edition Project 8 will finish this year with three 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, with a top speed of 299 km/h (186 mph).