Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (otherwise known as SVO) has revealed the most powerful, agile and extreme performance Jaguar road car ever – the XE SV Project 8 sedan.
The second Collector’s Edition mastered by SVO, following the successful F-TYPE Project 7 of 2014, the Project 8 is a hand-built four-door sedan with supercar levels of performance. It’s the school-run car of your dreams. A combination of explosive power, dynamic agility, and all-wheel-drive traction – no more than 300 of these exclusive vehicles will be created.
Capable of delivering a 322kmph top speed and 0-100kmph in 3.7 seconds, the Project 8 is the fastest accelerating Jaguar yet and the first road-legal Jaguar with a 600PS 5.0-litre supercharged V8.
Not only have the insides been supercharged but the exterior of the Project 8 has also undergone a number of purposeful modifications to the award-winning XE’s lightweight aluminium body panels to make it the lightest V8 sedan in the Jaguar range. These carbon-fibre modifications have also achieved the almost Herculean task of making the Project 8 look as fast as it actually is.
To ensure optimum performance on both the road and the track, the Project 8 debuts a new Carbon Ceramic Braking system, an industry-first use of Formula 1-style silicon nitride ceramic wheel bearings on a road car. The eight-speed Quickshift transmission can also be operated by aluminium paddle shifters behind the steering wheel or by a central Pistolshift lever – another first for XE.
If you didn’t get the gist by now, the Project 8 is a car of many firsts. It’s the first Jaguar to feature a dedicated Track Mode, which tailors driveline and stability control systems for ultimate precision and driver feedback, and if you were to engage in an impromptu road-race against any of the other hapless chumps doing the school-run we’d guarantee it would also end up first. Your kids would be scared shitless, but still: first.
The Project 8 will be available in two specifications at launch. The standard four-seat model with Jaguar’s latest front Performance and the two-seat Track Pack model which includes lightweight front Carbon Fibre Racing Seats with Four-Point Harnesses fixed to a Harness Retention Hoop in place of the rear seat. Perfect for the Middle East, all Project 8s will be built in left-hand drive configuration only.
Full details of Project 8 are now online at jaguar.com, with owners able to personalise the car by opting for further colours and finishes from the SVO Premium Palette range, which includes 19 colours in tri-coat, tinted clear coat, pearlescent, ChromaFlair and satin matte finishes. Race-inspired decal packs, accentuating Project 8’s high-performance attributes, are also available.
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