Jaguar Just Made The XE Project 8 Even Better, Simply Because It Could

Owing to the hand-built nature of the car, Jaguar's engineers have been able to carry on fiddling with the XE SV Project 8 right up until now
Jaguar Just Made The XE Project 8 Even Better, Simply Because It Could

It’s nearly a year since Jaguar first revealed its XE SV Project 8, and about five months since it charged around the Nurburgring, clocking a 7min 21sec lap. But work on the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 brute has been ongoing since then, and quite a lot has changed.

“The good thing about building only 300 cars, all hand-made, is that you can keep developing the car right up to the start of production,” Project 8 Vehicle Dynamics Manager David Pook explains. We now have stiffer springs and engine mounts, new suspension arm bushes and brakes that have been “refined” with the aim of improving pedal feel. The car’s software has been extensively tweaked too.

The changes, Pook says, have “been done to make the car even more responsive and to handle even better.”

Remote video URL

Project 8 has very little in common with the standard XE, with Jaguar previously stating that only around 25 per cent of the standard saloon car’s parts have been carried over. In terms of bodywork, it shares only its roof and front door skins with the boggo version.

It’s powered by a 592bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8, and has a comprehensive aero package that provides 122kg of downforce at 186mph.

If you’re not one of the 300 however, your fast XE options are limited: a V8-powered XE SVR isn’t going to happen, and Jaguar has killed off the likeable V6-powered XE S in Europe. The 297bhp inline-four-powered version doesn’t seem like the most appropriate substitute…

Sponsored Posts

Comments

Anonymous

Well well , like Alpina has done for the e46 by stuffing the s62 in the car some tuners can do the same by placing the supercharged 5.0 v8 on a standard XE hahaha

04/26/2018 - 13:39 |
31 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

cough Lister cough

04/26/2018 - 13:40 |
16 | 0
Anonymous

wow, blue actually looks twice as good as orange

04/26/2018 - 14:00 |
10 | 1
Anonymous

Is it just me, or does anyone else want to see an Aussie Supercar version of this?

04/26/2018 - 14:47 |
18 | 0
llP VeIoclty

I remember this blasting up the hillclimb at goodwood. Sounded absolutely amazing

04/26/2018 - 16:11 |
2 | 0
Emil Klotz

Where is the m4 gts now????

04/26/2018 - 18:49 |
1 | 0

Crying.

04/26/2018 - 19:15 |
11 | 0

Sold out.

05/02/2018 - 07:03 |
0 | 0
youre boy

FailRace

04/26/2018 - 20:40 |
0 | 0
suchdoge

An Estate version of this would look amazing…

04/27/2018 - 11:22 |
3 | 0
Simon Wyatt (four arm squad)

I WANT AN SVR XE, I want there to be a new competitor for the m5/e63/rs7 I want to see Jaaaaaag join this battle

04/30/2018 - 16:51 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

I just love the way they made the air inlet mesh a component of the bumper rather than sticking on a chinese ricer mesh like most manufacturers do.

05/02/2018 - 07:03 |
0 | 0