2018 Jaguar XE SV Project eight Photos and Info, News, Car and Driver
2018 Jaguar XE SV Project 8: Eventually, a Fire-Breathing XE
We’ve been waiting for Jaguar to produce a truly hot version of the XE since the sedan was introduced in 2014. Now, for a few fortunate buyers, it has eventually arrived in the form of the limited-edition, 592-hp XE SV Project 8, set to be unveiled at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom.
As the name suggests, the Project eight is the spiritual follow-up to the hyper-limited F-type Project seven roadster, and is produced by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division. With four seats and a roof, the XE–based special will be more practical; it also will be the fastest-accelerating Jaguar yet, with a claimed zero-to-60-mph time of Trio.Trio seconds. The stated 200-mph top speed also is astounding, but it doesn’t top that achieved by the XJ220 back in the 1990s.
The engine is a reworked version of JLR’s familiar supercharged Five.0-liter V-8, welcome proof of Jaguar design boss Ian Callum’s assertion at the car’s original launch that the big engine would fit into the XE. It gets a fresh air-intake system and exhales through a lightweight titanium harass. The transmission is the ZF eight-speed automatic from the regular XE but with more aggressive software that Jaguar says is able to switch gears in 0.Two 2nd. The car also gets all-wheel drive and a torque-vectoring rear differential.
Suspension switches include ball-jointed upper control arms at the rear, height-adjustable spring platforms that permit a 0.6-inch drop for track use, and fresh steering knuckles with what are described as “Formula 1–style silicon nitride ceramic bearings.” Carbon-ceramic brake rotors measure 15.7 inches at the front and 15.6 inches at the rear.
Bodywork modifications are considerable, including widened front and rear wheel arches, an aggressively styled front fascia, and a giant rear wing. That wing and the other aerodynamic mods supply more than two hundred sixty nine pounds of downforce at one hundred eighty six mph. Lightweight materials include carbon fiber for the front and rear bumpers, front fenders, and rear diffuser. Jaguar claims a total weight of three thousand eight hundred forty seven pounds; the last XE we tested weighed in at four thousand sixty one pounds.
Only three hundred Project 8s will be produced, and—in a gargle to Jaguar’s British home market—all will be left-hand drive. Some markets will be able to specify an even harder-core track pack, which interchanges out the rear seats for a partial roll box and substitutes motorsport-style buckets with multipoint harnesses in the front; buyers in North America won’t be able to specify this option.
There’s no word on price yet, but it ain’t gonna be cheap. We are, however, expecting that a slightly less potent version of the same powertrain will propel a less expensive XE SVR produced in greater volume.
2018 Jaguar XE SV Project eight Photos and Info, News, Car and Driver
2018 Jaguar XE SV Project 8: Ultimately, a Fire-Breathing XE
We’ve been waiting for Jaguar to produce a truly hot version of the XE since the sedan was introduced in 2014. Now, for a few fortunate buyers, it has ultimately arrived in the form of the limited-edition, 592-hp XE SV Project 8, set to be unveiled at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom.
As the name suggests, the Project eight is the spiritual follow-up to the hyper-limited F-type Project seven roadster, and is produced by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division. With four seats and a roof, the XE–based special will be more practical; it also will be the fastest-accelerating Jaguar yet, with a claimed zero-to-60-mph time of Trio.Trio seconds. The stated 200-mph top speed also is outstanding, but it doesn’t top that achieved by the XJ220 back in the 1990s.
The engine is a reworked version of JLR’s familiar supercharged Five.0-liter V-8, welcome proof of Jaguar design boss Ian Callum’s assertion at the car’s original launch that the big engine would fit into the XE. It gets a fresh air-intake system and exhales through a lightweight titanium harass. The transmission is the ZF eight-speed automatic from the regular XE but with more aggressive software that Jaguar says is able to switch gears in 0.Two 2nd. The car also gets all-wheel drive and a torque-vectoring rear differential.
Suspension switches include ball-jointed upper control arms at the rear, height-adjustable spring platforms that permit a 0.6-inch drop for track use, and fresh steering knuckles with what are described as “Formula 1–style silicon nitride ceramic bearings.” Carbon-ceramic brake rotors measure 15.7 inches at the front and 15.6 inches at the rear.
Bodywork modifications are considerable, including widened front and rear wheel arches, an aggressively styled front fascia, and a giant rear wing. That wing and the other aerodynamic mods produce more than two hundred sixty nine pounds of downforce at one hundred eighty six mph. Lightweight materials include carbon fiber for the front and rear bumpers, front fenders, and rear diffuser. Jaguar claims a total weight of three thousand eight hundred forty seven pounds; the last XE we tested weighed in at four thousand sixty one pounds.
Only three hundred Project 8s will be produced, and—in a deepthroat to Jaguar’s British home market—all will be left-hand drive. Some markets will be able to specify an even harder-core track pack, which exchanges out the rear seats for a partial roll box and substitutes motorsport-style buckets with multipoint harnesses in the front; buyers in North America won’t be able to specify this option.
There’s no word on price yet, but it ain’t gonna be cheap. We are, however, expecting that a slightly less potent version of the same powertrain will propel a less expensive XE SVR produced in greater volume.
