Legendary Jaguar sports car racers Andy Wallace and Davy Jones joined the Special Vehicle Operations development team at Goodwood Motor Circuit last month, declaring the new Jaguar XE SV Project 8 'absolutely staggering' and 'a winner' after testing it on the fast and demanding U.K. track.

British driver Andy Wallace won the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race in 1988 driving the Jaguar XJR-9 and was part of Jaguar's victorious 1988 and 1991 World Sports Car Championship teams. The Goodwood test was the first time he'd driven the all-wheel drive track-focused Project 8, which features a 592bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 powertrain.

Andy Wallace said, "Most road-legal cars on track are a massive disappointment, but Project 8 is really something. It's absolutely staggering how it has been made to feel like a proper racing car. It keeps wanting you to push harder. It's not bothered by Goodwood's undulations, it just hunkers down and feels totally at ease, so you're happy to get on the throttle earlier. It inspires confidence straight away."