01 Race engineering in Project 8 is obvious - we wish we could impart the light-speed at which
it passed our camera. 02 No frills V8 as we like it - the 5.0 litre supercharged engine.
03 Leading an F-Type SVR. 04 Marc Gammage at work. 05 Jaguars used in the Experience day.01
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46 EDITION 198 JAGUAR MAGAZINE
It is so precious and sophisticated that only three
people in Australia are authorised to drive it, and I was
very happy to be in the passenger seat.
It reset the lap record for a production sedan around
the colossal Nürburgring, circling the rising and plunging
20.9 kilometre long (12.9 mile) toll road in Germany's
Eifel Forest in just seven minutes and 21 seconds - four
seconds quicker than the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S.
There is nothing subtle about Project 8. Bright orange
livery with go-faster stripes, huge perforated front
splitter, 20" black wheels, massive boot spoiler - and the
most incredibly alluring open exhaust noise.
On the other hand, aside from the roll cage and the
two leather trimmed racing seats (there are none in
the rear), internally it is a regulation XE. The standard
trim is there, nothing has been stripped in the quest
for lightness, the panels fit perfectly, it has headlining,
indicators and everything works.
But wait, there is more! Much much more.
Our first visual and aural meeting with Project 8 came
as we drove into the Lakeside track and pulled over
at the top of Eastern Loop. It is our favourite spot to
photograph cars in action, and we were stunned by thescream emanating from the Project 8 Jaguar as it poured
at incredible speed off the plunging back straight into
the action spot titled Hungry corner.
We had been engulfed by the fastest production
Jaguar ever built. As it sat at rest amongst thirty plus
other Jaguars gathered for an 'Experience' day, including
an I-Pace, Project 8 was the centre of all attention.
It is sized within inches of a NISMO GT-R, yet appears
much more compact. The bonnet's deep vent is entirely
functional, extracting heat and aiding aero. It’s a serious
technical statement.
The five litre supercharged V8 delivers a glorious
444 kW (592 bhp) and an even more impressive 516 lb.
ft. of torque. The supercharged V8 is not raucous and
unrefined like a Detroit supercharged V8, nor raw and
inharmonious like Nissan GT-R’s nonetheless potent
twin-turbo V6. It has a sound and sensation that sets
it apart from German twin-turbo V8s too, delivering
power in a classical V8 style. The engine, transmission
and all-wheel drive system are essentially an evolution of
the powertrain system found in the F-Type SVR.
Carbon-ceramic brakes measure 15.7 inches up front
with six piston calipers. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2