The hardcore Jaguar XE SV Project 8 has broken its own Nürburgring lap record for a four-door production car by 2.9 seconds, lapping the circuit in 7min 18.361sec.
The new time was set by Project 8 development driver Vincent Radermecker, who was also at the wheel when the car initially broke the record with a 7min 21.23sec lap time in November 2017.
The record was previously held by the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, which set a time of 7min 32sec in 2016.
No modifications were made to the Project 8’s 592bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 for the improved time, but Jaguar said a set of new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R road tyres were fitted to “maximise performance and steering precision”.
The record was broken on both occasions by range-topping two-seat Track Pack variants of the Project 8.
Jamal Hameedi, Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations’ engineering director, said: “The original Nürburgring time set by Jaguar XE SV Project 8 demonstrated the extreme performance envelope of the world’s fastest production sedan, but the SV team is driven by a motorsport mentality and we knew Project 8 could go even faster.
“This new official record time is a fitting reward for everyone who has played a part in pushing the boundaries for our customers with Project 8.”
The news comes as Jaguar prepares to wrap up production of the Project 8 later this year. It remains Jaguar’s quickest current model, with a 0-60mph time of 3.3sec and a top speed of 200mph.
The company recently launched a new Touring edition of the Project 8, featuring more subtle exterior styling. It is the most exclusive variant, with production limited to just 15 units.
