Andy Wallace and Davy Jones Take A Spin In The Jaguar XE SV Project 8

Jaguar recently revealed it was making some last minute improvements to the XE SV Project 8 and company has followed up by announcing Andy Wallace and Davy Jones have joined the SV engineering team to fine-tune the model.

The former winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans recently took the model out for a high-speed test at the Goodwood Motor Circuit and came away pretty impressed with what Jaguar and Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations have managed to create.

According to Wallace, “Most road-legal cars on track are a massive disappointment, but Project 8 is really something. It’s absolutely staggering how it has been made to feel like a proper racing car.” He added the car wants to you pusher harder and it inspires confidence straight away.

Wallace went on to praise the XE’s carbon ceramic braking system and steering. As he explained, “Anybody can build a fast car. But to build a fast car that feels this good – that’s quite an achievement.”

Jones offered similar comments as he was impressed by the car’s supercharged 5.0-liter V8 which produces 591 hp (441 kW / 600 PS) and enables the model to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds before hitting a top speed of 200 mph (321 km/h). Those are some impressive figures and Jones remarked “The sheer acceleration didn’t feel all that different from a 700 hp (522 kW / 709 PS) racing prototype.”

Since the car was unveiled last June, engineers have installed stiffer springs, new suspension arm bushings and revised engine mounts. The company also fine-tuned the brakes to provide better feel and performance. These changes are relatively minor but Project 8 vehicle dynamics manager David Pook has previously said “It’s certainly even faster, better handling and more responsive than it was six months ago. All that effort has been worth it.”

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 will go into production in June and only 300 units will be built. Deliveries will begin this summer and U.K. pricing starts at £149,995.