There’s nobody on earth that needs a vehicle like the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and that’s one of the reasons why it is so epic.
Jaguar didn’t build the Project 8 in response to customer demand for such a model. Instead, the car was created as a way for the British manufacturer to show off its engineering prowess and to put the likes of BMW M, Mercedes-AMG, and Audi Sport on notice.
Powering the super sedan is a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine which Jaguar says delivers 600 PS (592 hp), giving the car 89 hp more than a C63 S and 167 hp more than a BMW M3. However, does the car really churn out that much or have Jaguar’s PR staff been less than truthful in spruiking the Project 8’s performance numbers?
To find out, Harry Metcalfe strapped his personal XE SV Project 8 onto a dyno.
The car performed very well. So well in fact that it delivered 601 hp and 506 lb-ft of torque at the crank or approximately 485 hp at the rear wheels.
When you consider these figures, it’s little wonder why the XE SV Project 8 is so fast. When given enough room, the sedan can rocket to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.3 seconds and run through to a top speed exceeding 200 mph (320 km/h).
Also aiding in the vehicle’s performance are a host of suspension and braking changes over all other XE variants. Additionally, the car includes some eye-catching aerodynamic modifications. Late last year, the range-topping XE lapped the Nurburgring in 7:21.23. Perhaps the near $200,000 starting price is almost worth it.