They say it’s lonely at the top. That must indeed be the case for the 592hp Jaguar XE SV Project 8, the fastest sedan to have ever lapped the Nürburgring. Having set the record-breaking time in 2017 it sat back waiting for worthy challengers to come forward, but almost two years on and the record has remained unchallenged… until now that is. Clearly tired of waiting, the Project 8 has broken its own lap record, setting a new time of 7min 18.361 sec on the 20.6km (12.875-mile) Nordschleife lap.
That is 2.9-seconds faster than the previous run in 2017 and a full 7-seconds quicker than what any other four-door production car has managed. Project 8 development driver Vincent Radermecker was at the wheel again and the officially verified record was set using the two-seat specification Track Pack version of the car shod with standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tyres. Equipped with a 592hp 5.0-liter Supercharged V8, it is capable of a 0-60mph time of 3.3-seconds and a top speed of 200mph, making the Project 8 one of the very fastest vehicles on the road, regardless of door count.
Jamal Hameedi, Engineering Director, Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations, said: “The original Nürburgring time set by Jaguar XE SV Project 8 demonstrated the extreme performance envelope of the world’s fastest production sedan, but the SV team is driven by a motorsport mentality and we knew Project 8 could go even faster. This new official record time is a fitting reward for everyone who has played a part in pushing the boundaries for our customers with Project 8.”
Production of the limited-edition halo model will end this year and customers can choose from either the lightweight Track Pack in two or four-seat configurations as well as a recently announced discrete Touring specification model, of which just 15 examples will be made. Prices start from £149,995 in the UK ($187,000). Further details are available on the manufacturer’s website.
Images courtesy of Jaguar
