Jaguar Concept Eight

It’s not just materials that give its interior such a sense of modernity and luxury – the Concept Eight also contains hidden extras designed to surprise and delight. Built into the centre console is a refrigerated compartment that holds a chilled bottle of Mumm champagne and two specially designed Waterford Crystal glasses in an aluminium holder. To cater for the unique design of the glasses – they are champagne flutes without bases – a bespoke drawer is built in ahead of the fridge in which to stand them without spilling a drop. The pampering continues inside two cabinets hidden in the rear of the front seats, which contain luxury items such as essential oils and perfumes, a digital camera for recording the highlights of your evening and even a writing set.

The ambience of the Concept Eight would not be complete without a peerless sound system. This has been provided in the shape of a dramatic new system created exclusively for the car. The spectacular 860W Alpine concept system employs 14 speakers to recreate sound precisely as the artist intended. The latest speaker and amplifier technologies have also been incorporated to create this no-expense-spared installation that takes sound reproduction to new heights.

The two-way front speaker set-up is complemented by a centre fill speaker located in the middle of the dash. The rear compartment has also been extensively remodelled to incorporate additional mid speakers in the rear shelf while increased diameter subwoofers provide a stirring deep bass sensation. The Jaguar’s rear doors also feature the latest DDLinear drivers and soft dome tweeters. As featured on current Alpine Jaguar Premium Sound Systems, time alignment means all occupants receive the sounds at precisely the right moment, wherever they are seated.

Speaking about the system, Alpine’s Business Development Manager Nick Bailey said: "Collaborating on the Concept Eight has been a great privilege and has allowed us to showcase some of our latest technologies. Our team of designers and engineers is extremely proud to have been approached by Jaguar to create a system to complement such an incredible car."

Engineering The Concept

The Concept Eight shares the same 3159mm wheelbase as the New XJ Long Wheelbase – 125mm longer than the standard wheelbase XJ version. But despite that extra length, the driver and passengers will sacrifice nothing in terms of the class-leading dynamics and technologies found across the XJ range. Its ground-breaking aluminium chassis and bodyshell technology mean that straightline performance and handling are uncompromised, while the Concept Eight’s use of the 400bhp 4.2-litre supercharged AJ-V8 engine guarantees a blend of crushing acceleration and effortless cruising.

The supercharged V8 achieves its maximum 400 horsepower (298kW) DIN at 6100rpm, a 33 percent increase over the naturally aspirated variant. At least 86 percent of peak torque is available from 2000rpm to a peak of 553Nm (408lb ft) DIN at 3500rpm.

Despite its extra length over the standard wheelbase XJ, the Concept Eight weighs hardly any more and also benefits from re-engineered and lowered suspension to give it added visual and dynamic impact. And remember in standard form, the new XJ is some 200kg (441lbs) lighter than the previous generation XJ and around 100kg (221lbs) lighter than its nearest rivals.

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