Jaguar unveils most extreme performance model yet
XE SV Project 8 the most powerful road-legal Jag in history. But there’s a catchJaguar has released details of its most extreme performance car ever: the XE SV Project 8.
Touted as the hottest road-legal Jag to-date, the hardcore BMW M4 GTS and rumoured Mercedes-AMG C63 R fighter produces an impressive 441kW from its 5.0-litre V8, thanks to some fettling from the firm’s SVO go-fast division.
But there’s a catch: the extreme four-door isn’t bound for Australia. The Project 8 will only be built in left-hand drive, according to Jaguar Land Rover Australia public affairs executive James Scrimshaw.
Jaguar will build just 300 examples globally of the XE SV Project 8. The firm is set to reveal all on June 28, shortly before a dynamic unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 30.
The hot XE is set to offer “supercar performance” thanks to an extensive first hit-out at the Nurburgring Nordschliefe circuit in Germany. It is expected that the four-door will feature all-wheel drive grip.
The Project 8 follows in the wheel tracks of the successful F-Type Project 7 released in 2014.
Unlike that car, the Project 8 isn’t being produced in right-hand drive because the componentry and modified driveline simply wasn’t compatible. It follows similar circumstances with all-wheel drive variants of the XF and XJ.
"The time is right for SVO to produce the most extreme performance road car in the history of Jaguar. The SVO team is possessed by the spirit of performance and committed to creating the most thrilling driving experience imaginable,” said Jaguar’s Special Operations managing director John Edwards.
"Our clients worldwide were thrilled by the F-TYPE Project 7. The new XE SV Project 8 takes aerodynamics and performance engineering to another level – it is conceived for enthusiasts and the most discerning collectors. The price for such an extreme performance sports car available in strictly limited numbers will reflect that."
Australian enthusiasts should not give up hope on a fettled XE right-hand drive sedan just yet. Given that the Project 7 helped spawn Jaguar's F-Type SVR, there's every chance that a follow-up to the Project 8 could soon materialise.
We can only hope.
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