Jaguar SVO develops 441kW XE SV Project 8

JAGUAR is in the process of developing its most powerful road-legal car ever, the 441kW XE SV Project 8, spearheaded by its Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) unit.

Limited to only 300 units worldwide, the Project 8 has commenced testing on the famous Nurburgring track in Germany, where the car and its supercharged 5.0-litre V8 are being put through its paces.

The output in the Project 8 trumps the 423kW/700Nm in the limited-run F-Type Project 7 – which contained the same SVO developed-5.0-litre blown unit and was produced in a limited run of 250 units, with ten of those coming to Australia.

While torque numbers have yet to be released by Jaguar, the Project 8 is expected to at least match the 700Nm in the Project 7.

The Project 8 is slated to be revealed on June 30 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, with full specification of the car to be released online two days beforehand.

Camouflaged images have been released of the car testing on the Nurburging, showing some serious modifications over the regular XE, which is currently available with a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 in its hottest S guise.

The test mule shows a prominent front splitter with large lower air intakes, and a large concave bonnet scoop to feed extra air into the mighty V8 engine.

Low profile tyres, side skirts and huge rear wheel arch flares are the most obvious changes to the side of the vehicle, while at the rear a huge wing spoiler, rear diffuser and quad-exit exhausts give the Project 8 the look of a serious track weapon.

Wide tyres look to be fitted to the rear wheels to help get all 441kW to the road, presumably via the rear axle only as is the case with other XE models.

While no other solid information on the car’s performance or specification is available, Jaguar promises it will pack “supercar performance and dynamics” to a mid-size four-door sedan.

Jaguar Land Rover Special operations managing director John Edwards said the Project 8 would build on the success of the Project 7 while surpassing its performance.

“The time is right for SVO to produce the most extreme performance road car in the history of Jaguar,” he said.

“The SVO team is possessed by the spirit of performance and committed to creating the most thrilling driving experience imaginable.

“Our clients worldwide were thrilled by the F-TYPE Project 7. The new XE SV Project 8 takes aerodynamics and performance engineering to another level – it is conceived for enthusiasts and the most discerning collectors.

“The price for such an extreme performance sports car available in strictly limited numbers will reflect that.”