Jaguar XE SV Project 8 Breaks Laguna Seca Lap Record, Claims To Be The Fastest Sedan In The World

Jaguar’s XE SV Project 8 now claims that it is the fastest four-door sedan in the world after setting a new lap record for 4-door cars at the Laguna Seca race circuit in the US.

Piloted by race car driver Randy Pobst, the 600 PS, four-door road-legal sedan lapped the 3.6 km racetrack in 1:37.54, almost a second faster than the Cadillac CTS-V which set the previous production sedan record with a time of 1:38.52.

The XE SV Project 8 also lapped the Nurburgring with a time of 7:21.23 last year and became the ‘fastest four-door sedan prototype with production-intent’ to lap the ‘Ring’.

Based on the XE’s lightweight aluminium-intensive monocoque, the Project 8 is limited to 300 units, which are hand-built and modified at Jaguar’s SV Technical Centre in Coventry to accommodate the specially tuned, supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine and a bespoke rear differential.

The all-wheel-drive XE SV Project 8 is studded with genuine motor racing technology such as F1-style ceramic wheel bearings, adjustable ride height, and also adjustable camber.

The front and rear fenders are bespoke to accommodate larger, wider, wheels which are necessitated by the larger brakes. The V8’s power is routed through all four Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres through an eight-speed Quickshift automatic ZF transmission, helping to propel the car from 0-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds and achieve an electronically limited top speed of 320 km/h.

The car also receives aerodynamic and suspension upgrades, including a ‘Track’ mode for maximum downforce and further improvements to the damping, throttle and steering response.

The XE SV Project 8 is available in two specifications. While the standard four-seat model features Jaguar’s performance seats with magnesium frames, the optional two-seat Track Pack includes lightweight front carbon fibre racing seats with four-point harnesses fixed to a harness retention hoop in place of the rear seat.