Jaguar XE SV Project 8 sets new four-door saloon lap record around Nurburgring

The most powerful road-going Jaguar ever made, the XE SV Project 8, has smashed the Nurburgring lap record for four-door saloons previously held by the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. With a lap time of 7m 21s, it beat the Giulia's 7m 32s time by an incredible 11 seconds.

The Project 8 is based on the compact XE saloon, but has been totally overhauled by Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) to turn it into a supercar-baiting beast. Under the bonnet lies a 592bhp 5.0-litre V8 engine, which puts power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. With a 0-60mph sprint of 3.3 seconds, it's the quickest car in Jaguar's current model line-up – but at £149,995, it's also the most expensive.