Jaguar’s XE SV Project 8 has confirmed its status as the world’s fastest four-door car by setting a new track record. The 591 horsepower, 200 mph, four-door road-legal sedan lapped the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey County, California in 1 minute and 37.54 seconds-almost a second faster than the previous production sedan record. Race driver Randy Pobst was behind the wheel.
XE SV Project 8 is a sedan with genuine supercar performance, according to Jaguar. Late last year, the XE SV Project 8 lapped the 12.9-mile circuit at Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany in a record 7 minutes and 21.23 seconds.
Project 8 is based on XE’s lightweight aluminum-intensive monocoque, with each of the 300 hand-built Project 8 cars modified at the SV Technical Centre in Coventry, England to accommodate the specially tuned, supercharged 5-liter V-8 engine.
The all-wheel-drive XE SV Project 8 features F1-style ceramic wheel bearings, adjustable ride height and adjustable camber. The front and rear fenders accommodate larger, wider wheels that are necessitated by the larger brakes. The V-8’s power is routed through all four Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires through an eight-speed Quickshift automatic ZF transmission, helping to propel the car from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 200 mph.
In order to achieve this performance, the car receives significant aerodynamic and suspension upgrades, including a track mode for maximum downforce and further improvements to the damping, throttle and steering response, according to Jaguar.
Project 8 is available in two specifications: The standard four-seat model features Jaguar’s latest front performance seats with magnesium frames, plus a more heavily contoured rear squab to maximize support; and the optional two-seat Track Pack includes lightweight front carbon fiber racing seats with four-point harnesses fixed to a harness retention hoop in place of the rear seat.
*Video courtesy of Motor Trend
