Remember the extreme Jaguar XE SV Project 8? You know, the one that holds the title of the world’s fastest four-door sedan around the Nürburgring Nordschleife? Well, the Whitley-based firm has now revealed a “more restrained road-oriented version” of the sedan, dubbing the Touring.
The new Touring specification – which deletes the massive rear wing in favour of a far more discreet spoiler – is offered alongside the hardcore Project 8 derivatives.
No more than 15 examples (exclusively in four-seat configuration) will be built, with paint colour choices including Valencia Orange, Velocity Blue, Corris Grey Satin and British Racing Green. From what we understand, it will be offered in left-hand drive configuration only, so no examples are destined for South Africa.
The fixed Touring spoiler replaces Project 8’s adjustable carbon-fibre rear wing and is complemented by a fixed front splitter. The graphics, too, have been binned, although Jaguar says they can be optionally specified.
Under the bonnet, though, nothing’s changed. That means the supercharged 5,0-litre V8 still makes a whopping 441 kW and 700 N.m, sprinting from standstill to 100 km/h in an unchanged (claimed) 3,7 seconds. Top speed, though, has been cut from 320 km/h to 300 km/h.
“Project 8 has received outstanding critical acclaim since its launch, demonstrating the Special Vehicle Operations team’s ability to create a compact Jaguar sedan with supercar-rivalling performance,” said Jamal Hameedi, engineering director at Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations.
“Touring specification extends the appeal of Project 8 to performance car enthusiasts and collectors who prefer a more discreet appearance, without compromising its driver-focused on-road dynamics.”
