Jaguar’s Speediest Road Car Ever Is Here, and It’s a Compact Sedan

Not to alarm you, my friends, but we are in the midst of an automotive arms race. Earlier this month, Porsche unveiled its most powerful 911 Turbo S ever. Then, Audi announced its fastest convertible ever. And now, it’s Jaguar’s turn to enter the showdown of superlatives. Behold the XE SV Project 8 — “the most powerful, agile, and extreme performance Jaguar road car ever produced.” Ever!

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Of course, what sets the Project 8 apart from its roided-out competitors is the fact that isn’t quite what you’d expect when you hear the word “supercar.” I mean, just look at its doors. There’s four of them. That’s right. The fastest Jag on the road is a goddamn sedan.

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See, the British manufacturer had a completely batshit idea: take the all-aluminum XE — its smallest, cheapest sedan — and drop in the most monstrous version of its supercharged 5.0-litre V8. What that means is this little wildebeest on wheels puts out 592 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque.  It’s got all-wheel drive and goes from 0 to 100 kmph in 3.3 seconds (i.e. real quick). It’ll hit 320 kmph. That’s legit supercar territory right there.

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It might look like the standard XE at first glance, but there are notable differences. The lightweight carbon fiber bumpers, hood, and front fenders have been fitted. Moreover, the fenders are a lot wider, covering the 265-mm wide tires up front and 305-wide tires at the back.

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And then there’s the way this bad boy sounds. Just listen to it roar. Warning: it will tickle.

No word on Canadian pricing for Jaguar’s super sedan, but in the U.S. it goes for over $192,000. Oh, and there will only be 300 of them, which may make it among the rarest Jaguars… ever.