The Jaguar Project 8 is perfect for the race track, but despite its well-bolstered driver’s seat, it’s a bit too stiff for everyday driving. This all-wheel-drive sedan is a furious performer and a more rare model than you may think.
Check out why this superstar vehicle
can compete with the world’s top supercars on the track. Is this Jag a sedan or a supercar?
The 2017 Jaguar EX SV Project 8 is well known by Jaguar enthusiasts across the globe. The ultimate car from the British automaker delivers class and incredible performance. Step aside Project 7, there’s a new kid in town.
Jaguar crammed a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine with 592 hp into a compact sedan, with a plan to build about 300 models.
About 15 of these cars were converted to a more subtle Touring version with a plush interior meant for business trips and long car rides
. The exterior was also toned down and less extreme. And its top speed was reduced to 186 mph. The revamped sedan sped through the “12.9-mile toll road in Germany's verdant Eifel forest in just seven minutes and 21 seconds. That's about four seconds quicker than the time set by the second-quickest four-seater, the 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S,” according to Car and Driver
. The epic auto also features an eight-speed automatic with manual shifting mode that can handle skipping gears and rapid upshifts. According to MotorTrend
, “Gone are the workaday body panels, replaced with flared carbon-fiber and aluminum skins that help make it 68 pounds lighter than the supercharged V-6-powered S AWD version that puts out a piddling 380 horses.” The hard-core Jag implemented a flat underbody, a new carbon-ceramic brake system with F1-inspired silicon nitride ceramic wheel bearings, and an adjustable rear spoiler. At 186 mph, the spoiler is said to produce up to 269 pounds of downforce.
“The British automaker says the benefits of building only 300 units of this car meant the chassis tuning continued right up to production, including increases in spring damping and engine-mount stiffness, as well as refinements to brake-pedal modulation,” according to MotorTrend.
The Jaguar Project 8 blasts down canyon roads
The insane vehicle can ramp up to 60 mph in just about 3.3 seconds. And it can take a quarter-mile in 11.3 seconds. Test drivers found the chassis extremely solid when taking tight corners on the windy roads in Malibu.
Few other cars could charge corners at the same speed. “Turn-in is shockingly quick, and the grip levels from the Cup 2 rubber are so high, even on choppy pavement, that you'll mutter new expletives rounding every bend,” testers at Car and Driver note.
It’s also important to note that the Jaguar Project 8 is left-hand drive only. Typically, cars produced in the UK are in right-hand drive, but the Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team had a hard time stuffing the larger V8 into an engine bay meant for a V6.
According to HotCars
, “The extra pair of cylinders forced them to use an LHD configuration to be able to fit an electronic power steering system in the Project 8 without altering the front suspension.” MORE: The Lucas-Jaguar Prometheus and Other Cars Ahead of Their Time
Extroverted and bold on the street
The Jaguar Project 8 sports extreme decals, a massive rear wing, and ducted carbon-fiber intakes. The front fascia is perforated with graduating hexagons and a leaping cat on the body. It’s hard to miss this striking blue speed machine on the road.
According to Car and Driver, “With its dramatic wide-body fenders sitting low over its dark 20-inch wheels shod with specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, plus all of the unpainted carbon-fiber aero bits, it looks as extreme as anything you'd find cruising Sunset Boulevard on a Saturday night.”
The Jaguar Project 8 also utilizes a ton of carbon fiber throughout for significant weight savings. And owners have the ability to choose from an endless amount of trim and paint options.
The interior includes an average InControl Touch Pro infotainment system with switchgears we’ve all seen before. “The brakes are perhaps overpowered for the street, with some low-speed squeaking betraying their racy focus,” notes MotorTrend. However, the carbon-ceramic brakes reduce the auto’s weight by about 40 pounds
MotorTrend did have one critique, revealing that the “U.S.-bound Project 8s are equipped with the heavier—and thus center-of-gravity-raising—glass panoramic roof due to that setup's already established crash and rollover-worthiness.” Also, the optional roll cage cannot be had with the U.S version.
The mighty sedan is based on an entry-level car, but its price tag may surprise you. For a whopping $188,405 you may not get the kind of luxury sports car you’d expect at this price point. Be prepared for that number to jump if you opt for bespoke features or the Track Pack and aero kit.
But if you’re all for elevating modern sedans as we know them, this thrilling, four-door low volume screamer might just be the perfect fit.
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