The other question here is whether the Project 8 could ever work in any form on the road. The quick answer is that it can. The normal Project 8 surprises with its ability to absorb what British roads throw at it, despite its essentially hardcore nature. The Project 8 is undeniably stiff – hit a ridge that’s a little bigger than you thought and you will probably find yourself airborne – but it controls that stiffness incredibly well. The ride is not a waft, but it’s not unpleasant. Rather than feeling like it wants to reintroduce your spine to the top of your skull, it rides the bumps sharply, but absorbantly. The damping is a work of art.
The Touring then takes that refinement and, rather than putting it through the (admittedly incredible) racing bucket seats, it sends them through some more standard leather. Inside it feels like a normal XE, just with a warp drive added. The Touring is therefore slightly heavier than the track pack version, but not by much. And when you drive it fast it really doesn’t feel any heavier. You’re obviously not as held in place as you would be in the track version, but it’s nothing that would ever bother you. As soon as you fire up that incredible V8 and stick your foot down you’ll barely notice the difference.
Traction is incredible, thanks to that all-wheel-drive system, which is cleverly sending more power backwards, but adding some front action just to help out. Therefore the Project 8 Touring feels like more than just a super-saloon on steroids. It’s all accompanied by the noise of a supercharged V8, which burbles while it’s idling, then roars as the revs lift before being joined by the whine of its massive supercharger at the higher ends. It’s an orchestra of noise and brutality that I could live with almost every day.