Jaguar Engineers Reveal Details of XE SV Project 8’s Record ‘Ring Run
The fastest four-door production car on the Nurburgring, XE SV Project 8 was a passion project for Jaguar and the team behind it.
Jaguar inspires a passion unlike any other brand in the world. The company’s line of vehicles, from the E-Type to the I-Pace, transcend the Union Jack to leave its claw marks upon the heart and soul of the world. From the track to the open road, the growl of the big cat brightens the lives of all it comes across.
Speaking of the track, Jaguar recently claimed a big prize for itself with its XE SV Project 8 on the Nurburgring: the fastest four-door production car on the storied circuit in Germany. Through the magic of YouTube, we learn from the team of engineers behind the project what it took to make that dream happen.
“It was a challenge trying to kind of maintain what an XE is,” said Jaguar senior designer Luke Smith. “Short of the front door, the roof, the front glass, we changed every panel. Usually, when we design cars, we’re usually fighting engineering tooth and nail to kind of push the wheels out another five mil, 10 mil. Everything we could have wanted on the car, they gave us at the start of the project. It was a real pleasure to work on, a real, real pleasure.”
The XE SV Project 8 had no limits on design, from the aforementioned body panels, to the suspension and chassis components. Nothing was left off the table in turning the Jaguar into a terror suitable for conquering the Green Hell.
“In the pursuit of ultimate performance, even in design, we’re kind of thinking along the engineers’ line,” said Smith. “‘Can we save weight here? Can we save weight there?’ But you still have to make a car beautiful.”
“We wanted a focused, fast, balanced car that could deliver lap times,” said Jaguar senior stability control systems engineer James Rawlinson. “We drove the cars on mountain roads. We drove them on cold passes, in all conditions, to get the car to be balanced everywhere.”
The XE SV Project 8 set several records around the world, including at Laguna Seca in California, and upon the Dubai Autodrome GP Circuit in Dubai. It also took a ton of effort to make happen in such a short time, with every rule imaginable broken, and freedom to do whatever it took to build the best Jaguar ever.
“I describe it as the longest, fastest roller coaster that you’ve ever been on,” said Jaguar European engineering operations manager Phil Talboys of the Nurburgring. “It’s the hardest proving ground in the world. Project 8’s been coming to the Nurburgring since early 2017. I think it’s fair to say that this is its spiritual home.”
Talboys adds that he recalled the challenge in delivering a Jaguar under eight minutes around the circuit back then, then one that could do it under 7:30. Now, it was time to go for all the marbles.
With development driver Vincent Radermecker behind the wheel of the XE SV Project 8, the project team delivered on their goal, establishing a record-setting time of 7:18.361. Through it all, the team became a family, one ready to deliver the next great Jaguar to the world.
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