Detroit 2009: Faster Pussycat - Jaguar XFR pounces on Bonneville, hits 225 mph!
Click above for high-res image gallery of the Jaguar XFR Bonneville car
In its spare time while reinventing the company and settling in with a new owner, Jaguar's boffins somehow found time to take their new XFR to the Bonneville Salt Flats for a top speed run last November.
The Paul Gentilozzi-driven XFR had been modified with the appropriate safety gear (roll cage, fire suppression system, etc.), along with a sizable low-mounted rear spoiler and a derestricted ECU that allowed the supercharger to yield around 600 horsepower thanks to a bit more boost. So-equipped, the 503-horsepower sedan blew through the double-ton to top out at 225.675 miles-per-hour, solidly trouncing the previous Jaguar land speed record of 217.1 mph set by an XJ220 at Nardo back in 1992 with Martin Brundle at the wheel. For reference, the standard XFR is electronically limited to 155 mph.
Incredibly, the Bonneville run was completed on stock Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires, and the Rocketsports-prepared XFR was still registering a bit of wheelspin at that speed. Check out the high-res, high-speed gallery below and the press release after the jump.
UPDATE: Video of the XFR in Bonneville added after the jump.
Live photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Jaguar]
PRESS RELEASE:
12 January 2009
NEW SUPERCHARGED XF IS OFFICIALLY THE FASTEST JAGUAR EVER AT 225MPH
Jaguar today announces that during a secret speed trial at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, an XFR prototype recorded a stunning top speed of 225.675mph (363.188km/h), making it the fastest Jaguar ever.The car - powered by the all-new AJ-V8 Gen III engine - beat Jaguar's previous speed record of 217.1mph (349.4 km/h) set in the XJ220 in 1992.* Paul Gentilozzi – the owner of Rocketsports Racing who successfully led the Jaguar XKR to five series victories between 2001 and 2006 in the Trans Am series in the USA - drove the car on the record-breaking run.
Running with minor aerodynamic and safety modifications to meet the requirements for a Bonneville run, the 225mph top speed was achieved with additional horsepower liberated by a remapped ECU, a modified air intake and exhaust system and revised supercharger settings. No internal engine components were changed and the six-speed automatic transmission was standard, including the gear ratios.
Mike O'Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars said: "The all-new supercharged 510bhp XFR - and XKR - add a thrilling new dimension to the Jaguar line-up. We have sharpened the R models, fine-tuning them to deliver a totally focused experience for driving enthusiasts, with the new AJ-V8 Gen III engines delivering refined power and performance and unmatched efficiency.
"This sharper edge - the quicker steering rack, outstanding grip and stability and improved stopping-power - has been achieved by using advanced Jaguar technologies such as Adaptive Dynamics (the latest in computer-controlled suspension and traction control), a new electronic Active Differential Control and significantly uprated brakes."
Paul Gentilozzi added: "During my career, I've raced worldwide from the southern tip of New Zealand to Le Mans. Along the way, I have been privileged to drive and own so many exciting cars but I've never driven one that was as exciting to drive fast as this Jaguar."
The new XFR – the first XF to carry the 'R' badge - defines Jaguar's most performance-focused models. Powered by an all-new supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine developing 510PS and 625Nm of torque, the XFR can accelerate from standstill to 60mph in just 4.7 seconds (0-100kph in 4.9 seconds) and is capable of reaching an electronically limited 155mph. More relevant in everyday driving, an excellent indicator of the XFR's great flexibility is the time it takes to accelerate from 50-70mph – just 1.9 seconds.
High-speed runs have become indelibly etched into the history of the Jaguar marque. Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar XK120's record-breaking 132.6mph run set on 30 May 1949 on a deserted stretch of motorway near Jabbeke in Belgium.
The new XFR demonstrates Jaguar's commitment to delivering exhilarating performance and outstanding dynamics for the driving enthusiast – the 'Fast' part of the Jaguar ethos of designing, engineering and manufacturing 'Beautiful, Fast Cars'.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mi key 2:06PM (1/12/2009)
What's new Pussycat?
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Patrick 2:16PM (1/12/2009)
I kinda like it with the eyeliner (black tape covering the hood gap)
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Kevin 2:18PM (1/12/2009)
I was wondering what Gentilozzi was up to since the reunification.
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BigMcLargeHuge 2:39PM (1/12/2009)
Well clearly this is a detuned 600hp engine.
Looks like they need to build the XFR-R.
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Mr. Luke 5:08PM (1/12/2009)
Or an XFR-RS!
ropeburn 5:37PM (1/12/2009)
I think it's great to see Jag laying down big numbers but they should come clean about exactly what sort of power they managed after an intake (could have include a reworked intake manifold, they're not clear), exhaust, could mean tubular race headers and no cat race exhaust, throw in a chip and it sounds like they may have swapped pulleys to get more boost. That top speed is eye popping, why not go public with how they got over 600hp on stock internals.
I'm impressed, now blow my mind with how "stock" this big cat was?
The top speed is impressive but you might have noticed that the big manufacturers are measuring themselves and each other at the Nuremberg Ring, not Bonneville.
So.....next stop the Nordschleefe?
BigMcLargeHuge 5:54PM (1/12/2009)
Either way,
if they reworked the intake manifold that means they have the tooling lying around still.
if they reworked the headers, they could easily reproduce that.
if they reworked the pulleys... you get the idea.
Basically, Jaguar has an XFR-R(S) right here. The parts exist and the prototype is done. They even know what the AFRs and timing are downloaded from this car to sell a program module to get you up to this level.
Jaguar could either
a) sell an even faster XF - RSFSR or whatever
b) sell Jag performance parts as part of a kit. Like NISMO or SPT, etc.
JDMlover 2:55PM (1/12/2009)
This car is bad ass
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3seriesisking 4:43PM (1/12/2009)
Tell me about it...that's one fast cat!
Will 2:58PM (1/12/2009)
That's a tremendous speed for only 600 hp!!! The body mods must have significantly reduced drag because 600 hp on salt won't give you the same speed as on pavement (salt being more difficult to achieve speed on). This car gets a lot more mile-per-hour-per-hp than the Viper by good margin (another 600hp car recently run on salt thrown in for comparison).
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Emeka Diribe 3:55PM (1/12/2009)
What use is all that speed when the speed limit is 75 in most states?
Will 4:03PM (1/12/2009)
It shows how far Jaguar has come. What once took a special effort and a supercar to achieve has now been done by modding an existing vehicle in their lineup. It stands as an engineering achievement and to show that the mechanicals of the car can handle some extreme conditions.
BigMcLargeHuge 5:25PM (1/12/2009)
The use of all that speed is that you can go 225 mph at Bonneville. For those that care about straight-line speed, I think it would be fun. If I had a Veyron, etc. you bet your ass I'd take it to the flats.
Its like taking a GT500KR to the drag strip. Or an Elise around a track. If the qualities of the car match your interests, you should do it at least once.
I don't play basketball every day either, but that doesn't mean I don't own a pair of court shoes for the off-chance.
Aaron Martin-Colby 6:11PM (1/12/2009)
I'd imagine it has a lot to do with the width of the tires. Vipers use steam rollers which are hard as hell to push through salt.
Geeky1 3:07PM (1/12/2009)
Goes like a scalded cat...
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Cory 3:07PM (1/12/2009)
I never cared for the looks of this car, but that speed with so many stock components make my eyes a bit more forgiving. Also, the car's profile looks much better dropped as far as it is, especially over those black rims.
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DCragtop 3:22PM (1/12/2009)
wooo doggy! I mean kitty.
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Farmboy 8:39PM (1/15/2009)
This car is seriously F.A.F. but the front end is seriously fugly. It is still sweet.
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Noah 5:35PM (1/12/2009)
And with this news, I see European tuners perking their ears, making plans for modifying this car similarly and making boatloads of cash. I'm quite surprised it only took 600hp (only 20% more power) and some simple aerodynamic tweaks (and the chip too) to achieve 225. Incredible. And with stock gearing.
Why, then, is the ZR-1 top speed less than 210?
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Aaron Martin-Colby 6:12PM (1/12/2009)
Downforce. When a designer attaches a component that generates downforce, it necessarily generates drag.
If you have a car designed to go around a track, it needs sufficient downforce to stick to the ground, but if you design a car for nothing but speed, all you need to do is design the car to generate as much downforce as it does lift so the car doesn't fly away.
You can see engineers playing this delicate game with Le Mans cars that take off on long, fast straights.