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Goodwood Festival of Speed 2017
Ten stats on Jaguar’s nutty 200mph, 592bhp Project 8
You want even more detail on Jaguar’s wild, supercar-baiting XE? You got it
It produces over 122kg of downforce at 186mph
Jag employed a lot of CFD sim testing and a rolling road wind tunnel to refine the Project 8’s aero pack to record a whopping 205 per cent reduction in lift – this with the front splitter and rear wing in Track mode.
That’s… mad.
Advertisement - Page continues belowYou can choose from 10,000 bespoke colours
The team at Special Vehicle Operations will customise your 200mph supercar-baiting Jag with more colours than you can even handle. You can even spec different accents for the calipers, mirror caps and grille surrounds. If you’re spending £150k on it, hell, go to town on the thing.
The Track Pack saves 12.2kg by binning the rear seats
For the full Nomex experience, why not shell out for the optional Track Pack? This swaps out the magnesium-framed front seats for a pair of carbon-fibre shells, still trimmed in leather, naturally.
But this option also removes the rear seats and seatbelt assemblies. In its place sit a Project 8-branded composite panel and a harness retention hoop. Tell the kids to take the bus… because you’re going sideways. Probably alone.
Advertisement - Page continues belowWith 600PS – or 592bhp – it’s the most powerful Jaguar road-car engine ever
The Project 8 team took Jag’s proven – and riotous – 5.0-litre supercharged V8 and went to work. Specifically, they retuned the engine electronics and installed a bespoke air intake system.
It of course increases airflow, but also reduces the air circulation and pressure drop in the airbox itself (a box fed by ducts in the carbon-fibre front bumper).
More air = more bang = more fast.
The quad exhausts have 89mm tailpipes
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Project 8’s exhaust is a titanium jobbie, with an active valve said to provide a “phenomenal snarling soundtrack”. We have proof of said soundtrack. You can witness it by hitting play above.
The eight-speed auto ’box can shift in 200 milliseconds
The ‘Quickshift’ gearbox can select gears in a blink of an eye – no surprise, given the car’s monster performance. But it’ll also bulk shift – like, for example, in “extreme situations”, from eighth gear right down to second. Such instances where you’ll need to bulk shift from 8th to 2nd probably require a re-examination of your selected driving inputs, we might proffer...
New knuckles help reduce unsprung mass by 840g
Bespoke SVO knuckles – machined from billet – feature F1-style silicon nitride ceramic bearings that help reduce that unsprung mass. Which might mean nothing at all to you if you don’t partake in KnuckleSpeak.
What it means in real human terms is better stiffness, steering response and less friction. Apparently. Jag also uses ceramic bearings too, but enough of that.
Advertisement - Page continues belowThe ride height can drop by 15mm
The standard ride height of the Project 8 is designed for roads. Which is understandable. For the track, you’ll want to wind those springs and dampers down by 15mm to go a bit banzai at your chosen venue.
The 20in wheels are the largest size ever fitted to a production Jaguar sports saloon
The forged aluminium alloys measure 9.5in wide at the front, and 11in wide at the rear, in a massive 20in diameter. They’re wrapped in super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber, too.
Kerbs, width restrictors and car parks are your new enemy.
Advertisement - Page continues belowJust 300 will be built, at £149,995 a pop
But for that, you’re getting the most powerful road Jaguar ever built. The 0–60mph sprint takes just 3.3s, and it’ll top out at 200mph. Oh, it’s only left-hand-drive, too.
Click here for more info...
