The Goodwood Festival of Speed was relatively
subdued this year, but one of the biggest
attractions was the new Jaguar XE SV Project 8.
Described as the "most powerful, agile, and
extreme performance Jaguar road car ever,"
the XE SV Project 8 is a limited edition model
that has been developed by Jaguar Land Rover
Special Vehicle Operations.
Designed for maximum performance, the XE
has been equipped with carbon fiber
bumpers, a carbon fiber hood, 20-inch forged
aluminum wheels and carbon ceramic brakes.
Designers also paid close attention to
aerodynamics, so they installed an adjustable
front splitter, flat underbody paneling, an
aggressive diffuser and an adjustable rear
wing.
The sporty styling carries over to the cabin,
with sport seats, an Alcantara-wrapped sport
steering wheel and gloss carbon fiber trim. In
certain markets, the Project 8 can be ordered
with an optional Track Pack which replaces the
rear seats with a roll cage and adds carbon
fiber front racing seats.
Power is provided by a supercharged 5.0-liter
V8 that produces 600 PS (441 kW) that are
transmitted to all four wheels via an eight-
speed automatic transmission and an
electronic active differential. Thanks to this
setup, the car thunders from 0-60 mph in 3.3
seconds before hitting a top speed of 200 mph
(321 km/h).
Production will be limited to 300 units and the
model will be available in a variety of markets
including Canada, France, Germany, Japan,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Pricing starts at £149,995 in the U.K., which
equates to a jaw dropping $197,618 in today's
exchange rates.