Jaguar XE SV Project 8 grabs Laguna Seca lap RECORD for a ‘Production’ saloon

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 adds to its ‘Fastest Lap’ records with a new fastest lap for a production car at the Laguna Seca racetrack.

Last November, Jaguar proclaimed the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 as the fastest saloon car in the world as it demolished the Nurburgring in 7min 23sec, beating the previous record – by the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – by a convincing 11 seconds.

Of course, the Alfa is a proper production car, whereas the Jag is a hand-made limited run of just 300 costing around £150k. But as far as the records are concerned, that makes it a production car. Still, it was a sterling performance from the XE.

Now, to prove the Nurburgring record wasn’t a case of a ‘honed there advantage’ Jaguar has taken the XE SV Project 8 to Laguna Seca Racetrack in the States and grabbed the production saloon car record there too.

Jaguar’s XE with the underpinnings of an F-Type SVR put its 592bhp and 3.3 seconds to 60mph performance to good use at the track, blatting round in 1min 38.52sec in the hands of driver Randy Pobst (who seems to make a habit of record laps at Laguan Seca) to beat the previous record holder, the Cadillac CTS-V, which was also driven by Pobst, by less than a second.

Michael Van Der Sande, JLR’s SVO MD, said:

This Laguna Seca lap record is another powerful demonstration of the Jaguar XE SV Project 8’s performance credentials. Designed, engineered and hand-assembled by Special Vehicle Operations, this record-breaking sedan is made for the world’s most demanding driving enthusiasts.

Despite being on sale for over a year, it seems Jaguar still hasn’t found enough customers willing to snap up an F-Type SVR with XE clothes for £150k. So if you want one, Jaguar would be delighted if you jump over to their SVO Project 8 page and hand over 150 large.

Jaguar XE Project 8 Laguna Seca Lap Record Video