Watch Jaguar’s high wire XF stunt

Last week we told you that Jaguar had something pretty special planned for the public debut of the new XF model.

The luxury marque announced that it would be driving the car across two 34mm-diameter wires suspended high above the Thames River. And the car, piloted by British stunt driver Jim Dowdall managed it.

According to Jaguar, the 240m that the car traveled is a world record for a car driving across suspended wires. Even with the specially grooved wheels and Jaguar-branded counterweight, we can’t help but think that the ride must’ve had Dowdall’s adrenalin spiking. Even for someone who’s done stunts on Bond, Indiana Jones, and Bourne films, the potential to send a brand new luxury car into the grey depths of the Thames must’ve been a little distracting.

Jaguar says that it was able to perform the stunt at least in part because of the XF’s lightweight aluminium build.

The company says thatthe new XF is 80kgs lighter than its closest competitor, something which has also helped increase its fuel efficiency and reduce its carbon emissions.