Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 7, 2019:   The world’s fastest four-door saloon, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 added a new lap record to its growing list of global achievements. The stock, standard four seater configuration, Jaguar XE SV Project 8 lapped the 5.39-kilometre Dubai Autodrome GP circuit in 2:18.81 mins, making it the fastest four seater, four door saloon car around the circuit. 

 

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is the most extreme Jaguar saloon ever produced. Based on the award-winning Jaguar XE, the SV Project 8 is the most track-ready version designed, engineered and hand-assembled by Jaguar’s Special Vehicle Operations. To preserve the exclusivity and collectability of the most powerful and agile Jaguar road car ever, the brand will build and sale no more than 300 examples worldwide. 

 

It is a four door sedan with genuine supercar performance having already broken two previous speed records, the challenging 20.8km Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany in November 2017, followed by California’s Laguna Seca Raceway in September this year.

 

The new lap record was accomplished by Jaguar Land Rover Test Driver & Engineering support, Xavi Barrio Duato. Xavi brings with him a wealth of driving experience gathered in Spain and China over decades. 

 

Salman Sultan, Regional Public Relations and Social Media Manager said: “The Nürburgring is a well-worn test bed for manufacturers to challenge themselves against the competition but that is only one track. 

 

“With the Jaguar XE SV Project 8, our aim is to definitively prove that it is the fastest four-door saloon in the world by setting records at several tracks around the globe under different climatic conditions and surfaces. We are thrilled to have the car in the UAE and felt it is important that the Dubai Autodrome, which is a world renowned great circuit, added to the list of records set by this powerful car. This Dubai Autodrome lap record is another powerful demonstration of the Jaguar XE SV Project 8’s high performance credentials.”

 

After making its regional debut at the 2017 Dubai International Motor Show, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8’s dynamic launch was held at the Dubai Autodrome in October 2018 as part of Jaguar’s Art of Performance Tour and was available for automotive enthusiasts to experience hot laps from the passenger’s seat.

Its thrilling mix of explosive power, dynamic agility and all-wheel drive traction is the result of significant SV enhancements that include lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre exterior panels combined with a 600PS, 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine under the hood.

 

The result is supercar performance from Jaguar’s most compact four-door sedan, touching 320kmh and reaching 100kmh in just 3.7 seconds.

 

Faisal Al Sahlawi, Dubai Autodrome General Manager said: “We congratulate Jaguar for the new record and we look forward to the next World Record achieved at the Dubai Autodrome.

 

The Dubai Autodrome is a FIA sanctioned Grade 1 circuit which has run many of the top categories of racing from around the world including most famously the Hankook 24H Dubai every January since 2006 while other noticeable motorsport events have been the FIA GT Championship, FIA F2 Championship (formerly known as GP2) and various Touring & Super Car championships.

 

Our circuit contains six different configurations and presents users with unparalleled options, all meeting the strictest safety standards while also located in the popular community of Motor City, Dubai.”

 

Limited in production, the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is the first car completely hand-assembled by Special Vehicle Operations’ expert craftsmen at the new SV Technical Centre in Warwickshire, UK.