Tuesday 15th June 2010

Hot New Jaguar XKR Posts 7:58 Nurburgring Lap

Production version of 'Goodwood Special' cracks the magic 8 minute mark

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The Goodwood Special last year

A year after Jaguar revealed its XKR Special at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, PistonHeads has learned that a new production version of the car has lapped the fabled Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7min 58secs.

PH spoke to Jaguar's managing director Mike O'Driscoll at Le Mans, where the marque had been hoping to celebrate its 75th anniversary with (at least) a finish for the XKR GT2 racer entered by US-based but factory-backed team JaguarRSR. (More on that below.)

According to Mike the new XKR derivative is "basically the production version" of the harder-edged XKR Goodwood Special concept which so wowed us when it was demonstrated at the Festival of Speed last year. As well as having a sub 8 minute 'Ring lap time under its belt, it seems the production version will also boast a top speed circa 186mph making it a paid-up member of the notional '300km/h Club' - which Mike tells us is important to customers in the German market.

Expect a production version soon...

The new production model's lap time was posted by one of the company's development drivers, and not 'some hot-shoe racing driver', according to the Jaguar boss. Either way, it was evidently a proud moment for Jaguar's ride and handling guru Mike Cross, who rang his boss the moment the times were in.

"Mike (Cross) was so excited by the time that he called me up from the Nurburgring to let me know," Mike (O'Driscoll) told us at Le Mans. "This is definitely not a level of performance anyone would have associated with the XKR before now."

No specific details have been revealed for the new production car, which hadn't even been officially confirmed before the weekend. For reference the Goodwood Special from last year featured an uprated version of Jag's 5-litre supercharged V8 making 523bhp and 516lb ft of torque, as well as lowered suspension, 21ins alloys and a tweaked exhaust for greater 'stage presence', all of which seem likely to make it into the production model.

Indeed, XKR prototypes have been spotted recently sporting what looks like a revised front splitter, a larger rear spoiler and with various elements of brightwork trim having been replaced by a satin-effect graphite finish, as per the Goodwood car. We look forward to more 'official announcements' on the subject soon - including how much it's going to cost, and when you can buy one!

Paul Gentilozzi with Mike O'Driscoll

Meanwhile, Mike also confirmed to us Jaguar's intention to stick with the JaguarRSR racing program, in spite of the marque's unfortunate withdrawal from the Le Mans 24hrs on Saturday.

"We've had better weekends," he told us dryly over a subdued Sunday afternoon lunch in Jaguar's Le Mans hospitality unit, "but if I'm confident of one thing it's that Paul Gentilozzi (the JaguarRSR team owner/driver) will commit whatever is necessary for us to become competitive."

The XKR racer hasn't yet got up to speed in its native American Le Mans Series, partly (we hear on the grapevine) because it is the only GT2 car running Yokohama tyres against stronger Michelins, but also because there have been other teething troubles in the handful of races it has entered thus far.

XKR GT2 racer was retired early

At Le Mans the car withdrew from the race in the first few laps suffering from an electrical problem that caused a big power drop at 5750rpm, some way short of the engine's 6,800rpm limit, and which would apparently have made the car 20-30secs a lap slower than its rivals.

The cause hadn't been traced when we spoke to Mike on Sunday, although your roving reporter picked up a hint that it might have been interference from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest's own 'black boxes' installed on every car to supply timing data. If this was the case, nobody else appeared to suffer similar ill-effects, but we're not ones to shy away from reporting the birth of a rumour that the A.C.O. might have (inadvertently) 'spiked Jaguar's guns' at Le Mans. Could such a thing be true?

[Zordrak]

Shouldn't 523bhp should give a higher top speed than 186mph?

[nowheyman]

Zordrak said:

Shouldn't 523bhp should give a higher top speed than 186mph?

It wasn't the Goodwood Special that set the lap time, it says it was a production model, possibly less than 523bhp.
I thought production model meant; already manufacturing

[unpc]

Don't know but that lap time is quite impressive from a car that's clearly not track focussed.

[Mermaid]

unpc said:

Don't know but that lap time is quite impressive from a car that's clearly not track focussed.

The M3 CSL on Cups is 7:50 - hope that puts the time into context. AFAIK, 996GT3 was the same time - 7:50.

[turbouberman]

awesome colour, its not the fastest but i love the xkr.

[Mermaid]

unpc said:

Don't know but that lap time is quite impressive from a car that's clearly not track focussed.

Some 'Ring times

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring_lap_...

[Carl_Docklands]

It's fast, desirable and its made in Britain. Well done lads!

[infradig]

Good work Jaguar.It was always said that Jaguar weren't allowed to be faster than Aston Martins when they were stablemates,so it's about time they started to develop some more focussed sports cars.

As for the rumour that the cheese mongering surrender monkies sabotaged Blighty's best..well it wouldn't be the first time as BMC and Jaguar in the early fifties will testify.

Edited by infradig on Tuesday 15th June 08:38

[Dagnut]

Subaru just posted 7.55 with the new saloon STI(not the 400hp Cosworth version) so it's not that impressive.

[marcosgt]

infradig said:

As for the rumour that the cheese mongering surrender monkies sabotaged Blighty's best..well it wouldn't be the first time as BMC and Mclaren will testify.

Well, if you'd followed the ALMS at all, you'd know the Americans are in cahoots with the French then - The car's been a slow embarassment since it was launched...

M.

[infradig]

So,an International conspiracy then!This explains why Obama has got it in for BP,what next Sarkozy declaring war on Greggs The Bakers?

marcosgt said:

infradig said:

As for the rumour that the cheese mongering surrender monkies sabotaged Blighty's best..well it wouldn't be the first time as BMC and Mclaren will testify.

Well, if you'd followed the ALMS at all, you'd know the Americans are in cahoots with the French then - The car's been a slow embarassment since it was launched...

M.

[SClarke]

Dagnut said:

Subaru just posted 7.55 with the new saloon STI(not the 400hp Cosworth version) so it's not that impressive.

My exact thoughts. But I bet the interior is nicer.

[hardmouse1]

Im not sure if i like this car... i think i would rather spend my money on something else..... fair enough the lap was fairly quick, but that still not going to make me buy one!!

I think the car needs upgrading......

Edited by hardmouse1 on Tuesday 15th June 08:56

Edited by hardmouse1 on Tuesday 15th June 08:57

[leon9191]

PLEASE NOTE THIS CAR WILL HAVE AN AUTO GEAR BOX!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a DSG or an automated manual a full on wafty ZF auto.

When you factor that in I think its pretty bloody quick

[FWDRacer]

leon9191 said:

PLEASE NOTE THIS CAR WILL HAVE AN AUTO GEAR BOX!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a DSG or an automated manual a full on wafty ZF auto.

When you factor that in I think its pretty bloody quick

Jag Dynamic Mode = Full manual control On paddles on the ZF box. You can bounce the thing on the rev-limiter if desired and the shifts are very, very quick. This application of the ZF 6sp-Box is touted as the best in the whole automotive business. Might even be the best kept secret too.

After you've had your fun you can switch it into full on slush-box mode and let your missus drive down the local boutique in it...

[300bhp/ton]

Black alloys look rather good with this paintwork:



Well done Jag!

[monthefish]

Dagnut said:

Subaru just posted 7.55 with the new saloon STI(not the 400hp Cosworth version) so it's not that impressive.

It's very impressive.

Just because an STI went round three seconds (a fraction of a percent) quicker doesn't detract from that. At all.
According to the link above, a Ferrari F430 in the hands of Horst von Saurma 'only' managed a 7:55.

Same time for a 'very track focussed' Caterham R500...

Anyone remember Jethro Bovindon (formerly of Evo) buying an E36 M3 and spending quite a bit of money honing it for a sub-8 min ring lap? Think the best he got was 8:15 or something....

Well done Jag.

[Phil Dicky]

Don't foget the time was posted by a 'test driver'...granted it will be one who lives there but not a 'race driver ring expert'

[300bhp/ton]

hardmouse1 said:

Im not sure if i like this car... i think i would rather spend my money on something else..... fair enough the lap was fairly quick, but that still not going to make me buy one!!

I think the car needs upgrading......

Edited by hardmouse1 on Tuesday 15th June 08:56

Edited by hardmouse1 on Tuesday 15th June 08:57

How and why?

Just curious

[300bhp/ton]

FWDRacer said:

leon9191 said:

PLEASE NOTE THIS CAR WILL HAVE AN AUTO GEAR BOX!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a DSG or an automated manual a full on wafty ZF auto.

When you factor that in I think its pretty bloody quick

Jag Dynamic Mode = Full manual control On paddles on the ZF box. You can bounce the thing on the rev-limiter if desired and the shifts are very, very quick. This application of the ZF 6sp-Box is touted as the best in the whole automotive business. Might even be the best kept secret too.

After you've had your fun you can switch it into full on slush-box mode and let your missus drive down the local boutique in it...

But nothing new, the Yanks have been swapping out manual valve bodies on auto boxes for decades in the aftermarket, combine that with a ratchet shifter and it'd offer a similar experience to using a sequential box.