The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 breaks its own record at the Nürburgring

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 breaks its own record at the Nürburgring, as the high-performance saloon has set a new record for its class with a time of 7:18.361. The British carmaker took the famous German circuit with the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 in November 2017, when it set a time of 7:21.23. This time, behind the wheel was Vincent Radermecker. On this occasion the vehicle wore a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres, road-legal.

The car used for this latest run was fitted with the Track Pack available, coilovers set to track mode, and the front splitter and rear wing positioned to deliver maximum downforce and stability.

Jamal Hameedi, Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations Engineering, has said that “the original Nürburgring time set by the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 demonstrated the extreme performance of the world’s fastest production saloon, but the SV team is driven by a motorsport mindset, and we knew the 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 limits for our customers with the Project 8,” Hameedi concluded.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fDwCaAgb3Q

Jaguar XE SV Project 8, a saloon with frightening figures

Powering the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is a task reserved for a hand-assembled, supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine delivering around 600 CV and 700 Nm of peak torque. This powerplant is mated to an eight-speed gearbox that sends power to the rear wheels.

With this in mind, it is no surprise that Jaguar has managed to set a new record, which has allowed it to displace the former king of Laguna Seca, the Cadillac CTS-V. This was also made possible thanks to the experienced hands of Randy Pobst, the driver tasked with taking victory on the American track. The combination of car and driver has allowed Jaguar to post a time of 1:37.54 minutes, which will be very difficult to beat.

The brand says the world’s fastest production vehicle can reach 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds and attain a top speed of 321 km/h. For now, the carmaker is only building 300 units of its XE saloon, and production will end this same year. The model has been upgraded by the brand’s celebrated SVO department, Special Vehicle Operations, which has increased every characteristic of the model until pushing the limits to unexpected extremes. It has been hand-assembled and is an extremely special vehicle.

It is worth remembering that the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is the second model built by the British firm’s SVO division; before the saloon came the Jaguar F-Type Project 7. Production of the XE SV Project 8 will be limited to 300 units, and the price of each unit will be £150,000, roughly 170,000 euros at current exchange rates.