Jaguar said on Tuesday that a specially prepared version of its XE compact luxury sedan—a model that's earmarked for production—lapped Germany's famous Nürburgring Nordschleife in a record-breaking 7:21.23.
That's the fastest time ever posted for a production-intent sedan, the automaker touted at a press event on the sidelines of the Los Angeles auto show. The previous record-holder was the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, at a still-blistering 7:32 set last year. The fastest four-door to lap the 12.9-mile circuit remains a heavily modified Subaru WRX STI Type RA NBR race car that's not street legal, which did the deed in 6:57.5.
The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 that raced around the 'Ring is certainly a a few seconds faster than the Alfa, but it'll also be a lot more expensive. Jaguar says it plans to build 300 examples of the XE SV for sale globally, including the U.S.
Here, the XE SV will cost a staggering $188,495—but it's not just an XE sedan stuffed with a 592-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine. Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations division claims that only the roof and front door skins of the Nürburgring car are shared with a standard XE. The 'Ring racer is so unique that its headlights were moved forward and its front end elongated to fit the 5.0-liter engine. Overall, 75 percent of its drivetrain is specific to the Project 8.
For now, Jaguar is gauging interest in the XE SV Project 8 by allowing potential hand-raisers to sign up on its website.
The XE SV Project 8 will be on display at the 2017 Los Angeles auto show starting Wednesday. To learn about some of the other vehicles appearing at the show, head to our dedicated hub.