Friday 26th May 2017

Jaguar XE Project 8 confirmed

F-Type based Project 7 a bit predictable? Try a 600hp XE then!

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Well now this is exciting. Described as "the most extreme performance Jaguar ever" this wild XE is called the SV Project 8. And, while details are a little scarce at the moment, one very important number has been confirmed: this car will have 600hp.

Stand well back...

Six hundred! Not only does that make it the most powerful production Jaguar ever, it's also 90hp up on a Mercedes-AMG C63 S and Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio. For any kind of car, that's a very potent power figure. For this segment of car, it's utterly outrageous.

That power comes from the familiar supercharged 5.0-litre V8, though no other performance claims have yet been issued. No top speed, no 0-62 and no Nurbugring lap time, despite the images here. In fact it hasn't yet been announced whether the SV Project 8 is rear- or four-wheel drive, though you would have to assume the latter.

Imagine the noise!

The only other number firmed up for now is the production: Jaguar will make just 300 XE Project 8s, designed for "enthusiasts and the most discerning collectors" across the globe. As such expect the price to be beyond the conventional rivals, particularly with the car being hand assembled at the SVO Technical Centre.

Let's cast those concerns aside for now though - it's a 600hp, V8 Jaguar saloon! Finally, this is the small baby Jag that all of the motoring media can get very, very excited about. The full reveal is set for the Goodwood Festival of Speed at the end of next month, though expect a few more details before then - you'll know as soon as we do! In the meantime, if just the 550hp will suffice, aren't XJRs still looking rather lovely? More on the XE to follow...

[dvs_dave]

Love it! It'll be quite the machine!

[Mike335i]

That is quite an upping of the ante! 600hp is mad in a smallish saloon.

[David87]

Amazing! Presumably it'll be followed (as the Project 7 was) by a more attainable SVR version?

[J4CKO]

That is mental if they actually make it.

[SirSquidalot]

Cool.

[TheDrBrian]

[quote] most extreme
[/quote]

• car has 4 doors and a boot

[Vee12V]

The flared wheel arches finally give the XE some personality.

[IanCress]

Presume this will pave the way for a more affordable performance version of the XE?

[kambites]

IanCress said:

Presume this will pave the way for a more affordable performance version of the XE?

If that engine fits without significant modification to the bodywork, you've got to imagine that we'll see a mainstream M3-chasing V8 XE at some point.

[99dndd]

I'll have it in British Racing Green, with a black and white Union flag roof please.

[Chafford1]

kambites said:

IanCress said:

Presume this will pave the way for a more affordable performance version of the XE?

If that engine fits without significant modification to the bodywork, you've got to imagine that we'll see a mainstream M3-chasing V8 XE at some point.

Motoring mags seem to think there will not be a standard SVR version. More money to be made with an SVR version of the F-Pace.

[Krikkit]

kambites said:

IanCress said:

Presume this will pave the way for a more affordable performance version of the XE?

If that engine fits without significant modification to the bodywork, you've got to imagine that we'll see a mainstream M3-chasing V8 XE at some point.

It should do as the V6 and V8 are a shared block - physically their external dimensions are the same. They've got to have a beefier gearbox and diff, but the engine bay should fit.

[Cotic]

Project 7 was rear-drive and £130k. I'd expect this to be the same.

Now that is cool! I really hope they keep the styling for the 'normal' SVR version.

[David87]

Chafford1 said:

Motoring mags seem to think there will not be a standard SVR version. More money to be made with an SVR version of the F-Pace.

I bloody hope not, because I'd buy an XE SVR, but not the F-Pace alternative. Failing that, I'll just have to sell some drugs and get one of these Project 8s (assuming they have rear seats!).

[kambites]

Krikkit said:

It should do as the V6 and V8 are a shared block - physically their external dimensions are the same. They've got to have a beefier gearbox and diff, but the engine bay should fit.

IIRC it's a shared crank-case; different block and obviously different heads. The question is whether the engine will need to be pushed forwards to get the extra height in at the back of the engine bay, and if it does whether there's enough bonnet clearance for the front of the heads to meet pedestrian safety regs.

Plus of course the cooling requirements will vary significantly between the V6 and V8.

Edited by kambites on Friday 26th May 08:57

[Kermit74]

How old is that V8 now...

[kambites]

Kermit74 said:

How old is that V8 now...

Eight years, isn't it? I think it appeared in 2009. Obviously it's evolved a bit since then.

[RacerMike]

I suspect this will be well out of my price range, but a £60k SVR version that is an alternative to an M3 would probably be the first Jag I would genuinely put my name down on. Having driven the current F80 M3, I was fairly disappointed to find it was a bit peaky, poorly calibrated and rather dead in feel. I still think it's a great car, but it massively turned me off the idea of getting one. If this was even a little bit like the standard XE, but with more power and flared arches.......

[Cotic]

Kermit74 said:

How old is that V8 now...

20 Years, technically.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_AJ-V8_engine#...

[kambites]

Cotic said:

20 Years, technically.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_AJ-V8_engine#...

That's a bit like saying the engine in the 911 is 50 years old. It's a continuation of the same family but it's not the same engine.