EDITION 198 JAGUAR MAGAZINE 49
01/02 Who could have imagined a car like this coming of ficially from Jaguar Cars? It appears
many at SVO are relishing the opportunit y to stretch their skills to this degree.
We would love to see a Project 8 entered in the Bathurst 12 Hour or elsewhere.
01
02
of a lifetime. Ian Barratt provided light commentary
on the slow lap, but now needed no words. It was full
concentration.
I noticed how smooth the throttle input was, unlike
turbocharged engines that tend to have unpredictable
pedal input. The first time Ian went for the brake pedal
those stoppers were supple but with immense stopping
power and not a hint of ABS.
Out of the swooping Karrassel and cresting the hill at
bewildering pace into the next corner we got the same
obedience and effortless precision. It was always the
same. Curbs? Double-apex right-hander? Got it. The
Project 8 felt like a revered Porsche GT3 RS. After the
countless hours of EPS tuning, honing the active rear
differentials, and the racy suspension, Jaguar has nailed
it. There's no muddy sense of all-wheel drive, no binding,
and no push. You'd swear it was rear drive by the way it
turns in, settles flat, then erupts like a volcano.
Corner exits are a thing of beauty. Just as the Project
8 begins with the hint of slide, it steps out slightly at the
back then simply rockets away. The eight-speed upshifts
are despatched in milliseconds with a shove to the back
and a satisfying snort from the exhaust pipes. The epic
roar is a hallmark for Jaguar, but was even more present
in the Project 8. This was race car-level control and
dynamics, but still it remains refined by those standards.
Those SVO guys are good. You can break a record at the
Nürburgring and drive the same car home in comfort.
Can you buy one? Yes, you can, but you'd better do so
before they're all spoken for. It'll give you instant bragging
rights. With collectable status instantly, the Project 8 is
next-level stuff.
It's a true, everyday four-door supercar. Name me
another like it. There is none. Thank you Jaguar for the
honour and privilege, thank you Marc and Graham, it
was a joy to share Project 8 with our readers.Lakeside - a JeweL
Opening in 1961 to
replace Lowood, Lakeside
is again under threat from
encroaching population -
although can't be built on
due to its drinking water
lake.
Its unique timing tower
began as a corregated
iron shed, Bob Jane
raced his first E-Type and
Mk2 there, while legends
include Graham Hill.