2016 Jaguar F-type Project 7 Takes on World’s Elite in Car and Driver’s Lighting Lap

By Adam Pockross - September 15, 2016

Look, just getting invited to participate at Car and Driver‘s Lightning Lap is a big deal, regardless of how well you perform. That said, the 2016 Jaguar F-type Project 7 didn’t exactly run away with the competition.

For the annual event, Car and Driver invites the best performance cars of the year to compete at arguably the best track in the country, the Grand West Course at Virginia International Raceway. At 4.1 miles, it’s certainly the longest.

This year, C&D brought 18 of their favorites to compete in five different classes, along with a few oddballs thrown in for comparison’s sake. While competing in the LL4 class, the second most expensive, the 2016 Project 7 struggled to best the rest, but still oversteered its way to a respectable best lap time of 3:02.2. Alas, that was well behind the other six cars in the class, particularly the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR that ran a 2:43.2.

Car and Driver seems to have been quite scared off by the F-Type’s thrilling combination of a short wheelbase, 575-hp V8, and “less-than-magnetic tires,” which produced “if not terror then a slightly alarming degree of frustration.”

Still, they loved the sound of the car, and noted that outside of the track jungle, this kitty will purr nicely for you, albeit at a substantial price.

Check out the footage below, and let us know if you think C&D knows what they’re talking about.