Last week we told you that Jaguar were gearing up to do something spectacular to show off their new XF. We told you that they intended to drive it across high-wires in the heart of London. Well, they’ve done it. They have given a quick preview of the new XF in spectacular style.

This morning, commuters around the business district of London must have thought they were dreaming as they witnessed Jaguar’s newest saloon perform the world’s longest high-wire water crossing.

The car, driven by Hollywood stuntman Jim Dowdall, made its way across a 240 metres of two 34mm in diameter wires. This journey took three nerve wracking minutes.

Jim Dowdall, who has worked on movies including Bourne, Indiana Jones and Bond, said; "Over my 35 years in the industry I've driven Jaguars on many Hollywood movie sets. However the biggest test for me on this stunt was the unpredictability of the elements. Potential oscillation in the high-wires from wind speeds meant it added a real challenge. The wires are only 34mm in diameter so the journey required absolute precision, balance and control."

Fiona Pargeter, Global PR Communications Director for Jaguar Land Rover said: "Canary Wharf's commuters stood still this morning when they saw what the XF was doing; it was lovely to bring a smile to their faces on their way to work. It seemed like the rush hour hustle stopped for a few minutes as the XF made its graceful journey above the water."

Other than being a great publicity stunt, Jaguar says that the reason for choosing the tightrope was to “showcase the XF’s lightweight credentials”. The body is 190kg lighter than its predecessor. This weight-loss means that the XF now offers better fuel economy (70mpg) and CO2 emission statistics (104g/km of CO2).

The XF will be debuted next week at the New York International Auto Show.