Jaguar XE SV Project 8 - official!
600hp, 200mph and £150K - full details on that incredible XE here
Fear not; it does skids
Let's backtrack a bit first though, to the Project 7. That was the D-Type-inspired, F-Type-based SVO limited edition from 2013, its first such creation. That's considered a success, with all selling out very quickly and used values still way above original RRP. Beyond the obvious bodystyle differences though, the 8 is a very, very different prospect (and project) to the 7.
That car was predominantly a styling exercise, a nice homage to an icon with a slight performance gain; this car is described as the most track focused Jaguar ever - yes, more so than the XKR-S GT - and led predominantly by the engineers. So while some wanted rid of the big wing, that was forbidden because it would mess with the aero. It's why the headlights are 14mm further forward than a standard XE, necessitated by the larger wheel and tyre assembly. And it's why new rear doors were created for this car; not for style, but because the arch extensions for the wider rear track meant the standard ones simply wouldn't fit. "Form follows function" is a line repeated frequently at the presentation evening, and that's exactly how we like our fast cars, isn't it?
Actual downforce! On an XE!
How fast? 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and 200mph fast, apparently, thanks to the most powerful version yet of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8. The eight-speed auto and all-wheel drive are standard. Interestingly SVO says that lap times are "a priority" for this car, with the engineering obstacle therefore being the balance between the downforce required for high-speed cornering and the lack of drag needed for 200mph. Without a wind tunnel at Jaguar, the vast majority of this work has been done in CFD - it produces 122kg of downforce at 186mph.
Seriously, this is what a Track Pack will look like
In fact it's said that 75 per cent of the Project 8 is unique, up to and including (deep breath): the aluminium rear wings, the aluminium rear doors, the carbon front wings, the carbon bonnet, the carbon splitter, the carbon side skirts and the flat underfloor. It's the same aluminium intensive architecture underneath the Project 8 as underpins the standard XE.
Coming to a track near you (hopefully)
There isn't a price yet for the Track Pack but, as you may have seen, there is a price for the car: £149,995. More than a Project 7 was, more than the M4 GTS was and more than, well, quite a lot of cars. Jaguar says the price reflects the "high-value engineering content and hand-built assembly process" of the car. Just 300 will be made, all in left-hand drive, and all to be assembled at the new SVO Technical Centre. Three standard colours are offered, with another five optional, but the sky's the limit as far as customisation is concerned: if you want it, SVO will make it happen. Wonder if they could do a green TWR livery on it? If you want one, best move fast...
 |
 |
 |
 |
And why have rear doors at all? There's no rear seats, right? Just weld them shut and remove all the gubbins to save some more weight, plastic instead of glass, no window motors and mechanisms..
This jaguar will probably not have the same level of four wheel drive system. It will not be as fast as the GTR.
So, please can someone who works for jaguar and who frequents these pages, tell us why it is 1700kg+ ? Is it simply that the others lie about their weights like they do their emissions? ;-)
And why have rear doors at all? There's no rear seats, right? Just weld them shut and remove all the gubbins to save some more weight, plastic instead of glass, no window motors and mechanisms..
Do you sit at home weighing your cars ? its never going to weigh much less, it has a honking great supercharged V8, four wheel drive and all the kit to deal with that power and grip, its never going to be a Caterham is it ? that type of car, what should it weigh ? even if it was 150 kilos less, you arent actually going to notice on the road, do you all diet down to 9 stone and not take passengers to save a few kilos ? 600 bhp will move it with alacrity and if a few extra kilos makes all the difference when cornering on the road, slow down !
Point being, it could be a bit lighter but you have to look at stuff as a package, I reckon it will be epic, after all its not like a normal XFR is a pile of rubbish and they have less power and are even heavier.
The different rear quarter bodyside is more likely to fit through the standard lines, but also more likely to be custom reworked after the standard body-in-white is complete. I can guarantee that the majority of the exotic price tag for this vehicle comes from the custom bodywork and doors.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff