Want a high-performance version of the Jaguar XE?
The SV Project 8 boasts 600 horsepower and will lap the Nürburgring in 7:21.23.
But Coventry’s only making 300 of them, each carrying a price tag approaching US$ 200k. And we’re told that there’ll be no XE SVR more readily available.
So what’s a Jag enthusiast to do if he (or she)
can’t get a Project 8? Arden may have the answer. It’s called the AJ24 RS, and
it may be the next best thing to Jaguar’s own compact super-sedan.
It may not have 600 horsepower or a V8, but Arden
has managed to coax the 3.0-liter supercharged V8 up to 463 hp and 583 Nm of torque. That’s 84 more horses and 133 Nm more than stock. And while the German tuner hasn’t released
performance figures, you can bet it’ll beat the 4.2 seconds in which the
standard XE S can hustle to 100 km/h from a standstill – even if it
doesn’t quite match the SV Project 8’s quoted time of 3.3 seconds to 60.
Also, Arden has fitted a
full aero kit, including new front splitter, rear apron, rear spoiler, side
sills, hood, and wheel arches. Into those enlarged apertures, it’s fitted a new
set of 20-inch forged alloys. And the interior, as is often the case with these
custom mod-jobs, can be outfitted to the customer’s specifications.
The end result looks like a compact Jaguar sedan
utterly transformed. A Project 8 it may not quite be, but it strikes us as a
pretty compelling alternative… and one you may actually be able to acquire.
