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Fast Jaguars and Land Rovers to reportedly use BMW V8s

The Brits could be turning to German V8s again, with reports suggesting BMW will supply engines to Jaguar Land Rover.

Jaguar F-Type
Gallery1

Reports are circulating through Europe that JLR and BMW are working on a deal that would see fast versions of Jaguar and Land Rover models powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8.

The move, reported by Automobile magazine, would follow Aston Martin’s decision to adopt turbocharged V8s from Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division. It would likely spell the end for JLR’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8, which is employed in the likes of the Jaguar F-Type R and SVR, and the Range Rover Sport SVR.

BMW’s 4.0-litre V8 is said to be a development of its current 4.4-litre version, improving both efficiency and torque.

Jaguar -V8-EngineWith the V8 becoming an increasingly niche powerplant in an era of downsized engines brought about by ever-stricter emissions regulations, manufacturers are being forced to consider sharing engines as well as platforms.

It’s not clear whether BMW would be willing to share a V8 used in a number of its flagship M cars, such as the BMW M6 and X5 M, though the current 4.4-litre twin-turbo version is the only one that can match the 400kW-plus outputs JLR is already offering with its supercharged 5.0-litre.

BMW’s lesser-powered twin-turbo V8 in 50i-badged models produces 330kW.

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