Try not to lose your lunch riding in Jaguar's F-Type SVR around the Nürburgring

By Stephen Edelstein Published June 21, 2016

Driving a Jaguar F-Type SVR around Germany’s infamous Nürburgring Nordschleife is surely a thrilling experience, and one you can enjoy even if you don’t have the money to buy an SVR, or the skills to pilot it. Jaguar is offering rides around the circuit known as the “Green Hell.”

The F-Type SVR is the latest car to be pressed into this kind of service. Often referred to as “ring taxis,” cars used for Nürburgring rides are typically sedans like the BMW M5 or Jaguar’s own XJ, which did a stint as a taxi in 2012. The F-Type SVR may not make sense as a taxi anywhere else in the world, but it’s the perfect vehicle for shuttling people around a racetrack.

Built by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations skunkworks, the SVR is a souped-up version of the F-Type R coupe. It packs the same 5.0-liter supercharged V8, but with output increased from 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque to 575 hp and 516 lb-ft. That can launch the SVR from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, and on to a top speed of 200 mph, says Jaguar.

Read more: Watch BMW’s M4 GTS lap the Nürburgring

The 12.94-mile Nürburgring is the yardstick by which all new performance cars are measured. Its challenging layout and superficial resemblance to a regular road have made the track a center for manufacturer testing, with companies sending everything from supercars to SUVs around to set lap times and test for durability. The Nürburgring is also technically a public toll road, meaning anyone can drive on it for a fee. There’s no shame in leaving the driving to professionals, though.

Passengers (or, as Jaguar charitably refers to them, “co-pilots”) have to wear a race suit and helmet as well as a HANS (Head and Neck Support), the same collar-like device worn by race car drivers to prevent neck injuries. The SVR itself is fitted with Recaro racing seats, harnesses in place of seat belts, and in-car cameras so passengers can see just how terrified they were after the fact.

Jaguar will offer laps in the F-Type SVR over 16 consecutive weekends from now until October. The 30-minute rides cost 295 euros ($332) a pop — on top of airfare to Germany, of course.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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