GR AND DESIGNS
CLARKSON & CO REVEAL THEY ARE BIG FANS OF THE JAGUAR XE SV PROJECT 8 AND NEW ELECTRIC TAXI
JEREMY Clarkson and one of his cohosts on the Grand Tour have lavished praise on two Coventry-made vehicles.
In a segment on the most recent episode of the Amazon Prime television show Clarkson delivered a glowing verdict on the Jaguar XE SV Project 8.
And in the same show fellow presenter James May revealed he is a big fan of the electric version of the iconic London taxi which is produced in the city by LEVC.
The XE SV Project 8 is produced at Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations in Ryton.
It is based on Jaguar’s XE but the compact saloon has been remodelled entirely to create what is virtually a saloon supercar costing four times the price.
The most powerful road legal Jaguar ever, it can reach 60mph from a standing start in just 3.3 seconds and go on to a top speed of 200mph.
Just 300 of the hand-built models are being produced at Ryton and they are strictly for enthusiasts or collectors with deep pockets - with a starting price of £149,995.
Clarkson revealed he is a fan of the regular XE, before going on to test the Project 8 model on the track.
He said: “It is really a very nice little car if I am honest.
“It is very good looking, it is not particularly expensive, it rides beautifully - very beautifully in fact - and as a result of all that people ignore it and buy BMW instead.”
Introducing the idea of the Project 8 the presenter added: “So, Jaguar went to its skunk works, which is based in a shed and they said could you make a fast version - one which will get everybody talking.”
The XE segment then moves on to footage of Clarkson behind the wheel on the track.
He starts by saying how the standard low-cost procedure for turning a normal saloon into a sports saloon is to add fat tyres, a V6 engine and more besides but that “the boffins at Jaguar decided to go a bit further than that”.
He adds that the only two bits the standard XE and the Project 8 have in common are the front doors and the roof.
The Project 8 has ceramic brakes, bigger wheels, a 5.0-litre supercharged engine and a wider track, all of which meant revised bodywork and other adaptations.
In addition the suspension was changed, the eight-speed gear box beefed-up and the four-wheel drive system upgraded.
Going on to explain the cost of the car and his initial thoughts Clarkson says: “When they added up the cost, in order to make any money at all the Project 8 would have to cost £150,000 - four times more than the standard car.
“How mad would you have to be to spend £150,000 on a car which was designed and built in a glorified shed in the West Midlands in 18 months - and the answer is not mad at all because this car is fan-bleedin’-tastic.”
Clarkson said the engine “might be 10 years old but it has huge amount of character”, meaning the Project 8 can reach 0-60 in 3.3 seconds and a top sped of 200mph.
Summing its capabilities up he says: “I am a sucker for small frontengined sports saloons.
“I had a Mercedes CLK Black and this is better than that.
“This is better than even the best BMW M3 and you can whisper this but I reckon it is even better than the Alfa Quadrifoglio.”
And, offering a conclusion on the Project 8 up he adds: “It is better
than you could expect in every way and maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by that because the last time something was designed and built quickly in a glorified shed in the Midlands it was called the Spitfire and it won the Battle of Britain.”
In a second segment on the show the Project 8 was put through its paces in a speed trial on the Grand Tour track, where it made number nine in the top 10, pushing the Porsche 911 GT3 RS into 10th place.
In another part of the Grand Tour episode co-presenter James May heaped praise on the electric TX taxi made in Coventry by the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC).
He said: “The iconic London black taxi has gone electric.
“I have ridden in it, I have driven it as well and it is excellent.”
May goes on to describe it as “smooth, comfortable and quiet”.