Jaguar XE SV Project 8 sets Nurburgring four-door record

Jaguar's limited run super saloon has proved its mettle at the Nurburgring. 

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 has outpaced the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio to become the fastest four-door car to lap the Nurburgring. The XE SV Project 8 lapped the 22.8km long German circuit in 7 minutes 21.23 seconds. In comparison, the Alfa took 7 minutes and 32 seconds to do the same.

The XE SV Project 8 is the second ‘Collector’s Edition’ car produced by SVO – their first vehicle was the F-Type Project 7 that came out back in 2014. However, while the Project 7 was based on a proper sportscar, the Project 8 uses the more mainstream XE saloon as its base. The Project 8 is hand-built at SVO’s technical centre in Coventry.

The SV Project 8 draws its mechanical force form a heavily retuned version of JLR’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that pumps 592bhp. The power in this super saloon is fed to all the four wheels, unlike the standard XE which is rear wheel drive. The end result is a four door car that propels from 0-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, and keeps on accelerating up to 322km/h.

Crazy speed aside, you need razor-sharp handling dynamics to set records at the ‘Ring - and SVO, obviously, has taken care of that as well. The Project 8’s handling is enhanced by a double-wishbone front and integral link rear suspension with stiffer springs, while the car also gets manually adjustable continuously variable dampers. This results in a 15mm lower ride height versus the normal XE.

Additionally, the Project 8 gets a carbon fibre front bumper with large cooling ducts, a vented carbon fibre bonnet, flared wheel arches that house 20-inch forged aluminium alloy wheels, an adjustable front splitter, flat underbody, a rear carbon fibre bumper, a rear diffuser and, obviously, that massive aerodynamic spoiler at the back.

You can watch the XE SV Project 8 in action at the Nurburgring below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDTBhqfZjJg