Jaguar launches Nürburgring taxi

Jaguar is joining BMW by offering a taxi service at the Nürburgring. But these XJ Supersport sedans won't be running to the restaurants and bars surrounding the famous track; they'll be collecting fares on it. The Jaguar Nürburgring taxi is finished in matte gray paint with the exterior Sport Pack that includes a front splitter, extended truck lip, red brake calipers, a gloss-black finish to the front grille and 20-inch wheels. It also has the Speed Pack, which ups the top speed to 174 mph. Power comes from the company's 5.0-liter V8, which delivers 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. The XJ still has room for four, but the heated and cooled seats were replaced in favor of more supportive holders with four-point racing harnesses. A full roll cage is also added. "Of these models, we found it's the XJ Supersport that most often surprises journalists with its speed simply because they perceive it to be a large luxury car," said Frank Klaas, global head of communications for Jaguar. "The XJ is both those things, of course, but its aluminum architecture means it's rigid and lightweight too, which make it a very good car on track. To underline that fact, our engineering team created this special Nürburgring taxi version in which our trained drivers can safely take passengers on very hot laps." No word from Jaguar on the fare, but BMW charges about $260, converted from euros, so we'd guess Jaguar's fare would be similar. Read more: http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120507/CARNEWS/120509881#ixzz1uCvrPxNN