Jaguar XE SV Project 8 sets new Nurburgring record

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iePeZxpvpTI

Jaguar has claimed a new lap record around the Nurburgring North Loop in the XE SV Project 8. 

The hotted-up, stripped-back sedan lapped the legendary Nordschleife in just 7:21.23 with Vincent Radermecker behind the wheel, besting the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV by almost 11 seconds.

With 600PS (441kW) of power from its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine and a build run of just 300 units, the SV Project 8 isn’t exactly a mass-market model. But that hasn’t deterred Jaguar, which argues the car is road-legal and, therefore, is eligible for the saloon car record.

Fair fight? Maybe not, but that doesn’t really matter in the wild world of record-setting and willy-waving.

The record was set in a pre-production Project 8 running on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2. Although a four-seat configuration is standard in the car, the record-setter was running with the optional two-seat Track Pack.

Along with lightweight carbon-fibre bucket seats, that means the driver was held in place with four-point harnesses, attached to a retention hoop where the rear seats would usually sit.

“The SVO design and engineering team’s mission was to create the most track-focused road-legal Jaguar in history – not only the fastest, but also the most agile,” Mark Stanton, director of Jaguar Land Rover’s SVO division, said.

“As a result, only the roof and front door skins of Project 8’s body are carried-over unaltered from XE and 75 per cent of its mechanical hardware is new. This astonishing Nürburgring Nordschleife record validates the success of such extensive changes.”

If you haven’t already, check out the lap record in the video at the top of this story. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s very fast.

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