Ian Callum Was Britain’s Most Important Car Designer
Ian Callum is one of the most important automotive designers of the 21st century. You probably know him best for his tenure at Jaguar, where he revitalized their design language and brought the brand into relevance. But this wasn't the first storied British automaker that he's helped return to form. Aston Martin owes much of their rebound, and possibly their continued existence, to Callum's work for them in the mid-90s and early aughts. And even though he's recently called it a career in the automotive industry, he's still making headlines heading up his own design consultancy.
Ian Callum was born in Dumfries, Scotland in 1954, and it didn't take long for him to garner interest in the automobile. This interest turned into a full-on obsession, due in no small part to the people in his life. He remembers how excited he was when his mother's cousin taught him how to draw three-dimensional wheels. He can also recall how his grandfather ignited the spark between him and Jaguar.
“My grandfather used to get Life magazine, and it was my reaction to the famous photograph of Sir William Lyons and a grey metallic E-Type coupé on the back cover that encouraged him to take me to see the car in that Edinburgh showroom. If I hadn’t seen that E-Type in that magazine on that day, I’m not sure my life would have been the same.
When I saw the E-Type in the flesh, it seemed to me that the future had arrived. It was so different and perfect and so utterly beautiful. I’d never seen beauty like that before. It was the exaggerated proportions that affected me, long before I realized that this was what the car’s designers, Malcolm Sayer and Sir William Lyons, were playing on. Little old British sports cars – and even the Porsche 356, which I also loved – all had more normal proportions. But the E-Type seemed so special, and it’s still special today.”
Perhaps the most influential person in this regard was his own brother Moray. He was just as car-crazed as he was. They would routinely call dealers posing as prospective customers. They weren't looking to buy, obviously. They just wanted them to send over brochures. The two of them did this so often that their room was filled with them. But they drew from the well one too many times. On one occasion, they called a Rolls-Royce dealer hoping to score a pamphlet. A few days later, the Callum family was greeted by a Silver Shadow parked in their driveway. The dealer they had contacted saw blood in the water and pulled out all the stops in an effort to close the sale.
Ian had his mind made up on what he wanted to be when he grew up; a car designer. He often wrote to automakers asking how he could break into the industry. He never heard back from these inquiries, at least, until 1968.
A 14-year-old Ian wrote a letter to Jaguar that asked the burning question, and he actually got a reply back. This wasn’t some cookie-cutter response from Human Relations. This letter was from Willian Heynes, then Jaguar’s head of engineering. He figured Callum was more interested in the styling side of things and recommended that he go to art school to build a rock-solid foundation.
Heynes put him on the right track, but Ian’s path into the industry wouldn’t be so straightforward. First, he enrolled at Coventry University. The bad omens began before he was even accepted. As he was driving the family Ford Zephyr to the interview, he drove into the front of a bus and totaled the car. Ian was eventually accepted into the program, but only attended classes for about a year before transferring. What he referred to as “an eclectic mix of colleges” followed. He transferred to Aberdeen, finished up his undergraduate studies at the Glasgow School of Art, and earned his master’s in transportation design at the Royal College of Art. In all, his studies went on for about seven years and saw him attend 4 universities.
You might consider this an abnormally long amount of time to earn a degree in this field. Institutions like Art Center College of Design will let you finish up their program in about 2 and a half years. So why did Callum take this particular path? A few reasons come to my mind. Firstly, with a degree in industrial design in hand, he’d be able to open himself up to a wider variety of career paths. Cars are just one division of the profession. He’d be able to design household appliances, vacuum cleaners, furniture, instruments, and everything in between. He was also motivated to go in this direction because of the dire state of the British automotive industry.
The 1973 oil crisis hit while he was in the middle of his undergraduate studies and when he was finishing up his time at RCA the energy crisis of the late 70s was underway.
“People were shooting each other at petrol stations,” Callum later said in an interview with The New York Times. "We were discouraged from even thinking about automobile design.”
The industrial design degree was a safety blanket just in case the car sector was in smoldering ruins by the time he got out of school. Secondly, have you seen the tuition rates at private art institutions? He says he never had to go into debt to pursue his education. In fact, he was able to secure a sponsorship from Ford during his time at RCA which saw him get most, if not all of his education expenses paid for. He had an internship through the summer breaks, which, in addition to being a seedy income stream, also gave him invaluable professional experience. Best of all, he had an interview lined up as soon as he graduated. Not with Ford, but with Vauxhall. The British arm of GM’s operations was headed by Wayne Cherry, and the landscape of the entire automobile industry might look very different had he been able to land the job. Cherry ultimately had other plans and went in a different direction. With that, Callum accepted an offer from Ford and officially began his design career.
Ian Callum is one of the most celebrated designers of the 21st century, but when he began working for Ford in 1979, he was just another junior designer at the Dunton Technical Center in Essex. Studios back then really made the new blood earn their stay. In Callum’s case, this meant designing trim and accessories. The first of his contributions to reach production was the door mirrors for the Ford Transit Van. Other designs of his to see the light of day include steering wheels for the Sierra, Transit, and an airbag-equipped one for the Granada.
These don't sound like the most exciting projects in the world, but Callum looks back fondly on his time with the company. Recalling his tenure there in an interview with CarExpert.com, he said,
“I was at Ford for 10 years, it’s a good training. I think at Ford you really learn the nuts and bolts of real car design because it’s all about creating something at a certain cost, certain weight, and everything else. It’s quite a strict regime, as you can imagine. I think a lot of car designers I know – in fact, most car designers I know – at some point spend time at Ford. It’s a good training. I’m glad I did that for 10 [or] 11 years.”
He also got the opportunity to work abroad. Ford was an international force throughout the 80s and early 90s. In addition to their operations in the UK, they were major players in Australia. Their increased stake in Mazda also meant they were also involved in Asian markets. Callum found himself in studios across the world. He worked on Mazdas in Japan and contributed to the design of the EA26 Falcon. In what way? Why, he did the door handles, of course.
In 1986, he was sent to Turin and became design manager of Ghia. While here, he had the opportunity to work alongside his brother Moray. He was making a name for himself in the industry as well, and his journey saw him join the firm as a consultant designer. Ian was technically his boss, though I’m sure he didn’t give him too much of a hard time.
They were part of the team that designed the 1989 Ghia Via Concept. This is a sleek cab-forward sports saloon that had a few technological tricks up its sleeve. The car utilized fiber optic lighting. The large ones at the front are supported by units that are located at the base of the windshield. Each assembly makes use of nine light pipes that could be individually programmed to be either fog or driving lights. It also had two photosensitive glass panels that darkened when in sunlight. If you fancy more of an open-air experience, then you could remove one of them entirely.
The innovations were only skin deep. The Via was envisioned to have a twin-turbocharged V8 and a six-speed gearbox, but none of that was actually included in the vehicle. It’s essentially a paperweight. A stylish paperweight, but a paperweight nonetheless.
Ghia wouldn’t stay out of the auto circuit for long. In 1990, the Ford booth at Geneva had not one but two design studies; the Zig and Zag. The former was a minimalistic roadster while the latter was a more practical two-box van. Both cars are built on the Fiesta’s architecture, and Ford wanted to show just how versatile the platform is. The Zig and Zag were extremes at either end of the spectrum. In theory, they could build all sorts of other vehicles on it.
Let’s start with the Zig. It’s the textbook definition of a barchetta. The word describes open-top, two-seat sports cars that are stripped down to the bare essentials. The Zig doesn’t have exterior door handles, side mirrors, or, at least as far as I was able to tell, a top of any sort. The windshield has been raked back aggressively, cut down, and has continuity with the side glass. Organic shapes dominate the exterior, with the surfacing, front air intakes, and headlights reinforcing the shapes. The main body line is only there because it needs to bring the hood line into the conversation. If it weren’t there, then it would look clash with the rest of the styling. Let’s go back to the headlights for a moment. Instead of using enclosed units, it relies entirely on the same fiber optic technology as the Via from the year prior. It shows up in the rear as well and is supported by a set of conventional units that creep onto the rear deck. With how parsed down the outside is, the interior appointments may come as a shock. Purple highlights take precedence while lime accents are present on the seats and in the IP. Other highlights include a dash-mounted rear-view mirror and an exposed CD player.
The Zag is the complete opposite of its stablemate. It’s got side mirrors, cargo room. Look, it’s even got a roof. The panel gaps around the hatch aren’t that way simply for the sake of style. By wrapping around the sides of the body and onto the roof, the Zag allows its owner increased access to the carnivorous storage area. The removable rear seats and foldable front passenger seat aided practicality even further. Though I’m not sure why you’d want to take them out in the first place. The nylon fabric seats have a lovely shade of blue and, when taken in with the purple accents, remind me of the immortal jazz solo cup design.
The Zig and Zag were taken from conception to completion beautifully, and while they didn’t influence Ford’s production cars very much, the project did show how well Callum could manage a project. He went back to the UK after his diversion in Italy ended, and you’d expect him to take on more serious assignments after his return to Dunton. Well, it turns out that his work the second time around was more or less the same as the first. He made contributions to the Escort Cosworth and RS200, though I think both of those cars deserve their own standalone pieces. He was starting to get fed up with the work and acquired a wandering eye. When the next phase of his career jumped out at him, he didn’t hesitate to take the leap.
Fellow designer Peter Stevens got in touch and let him know of an opportunity. You may be familiar with the name. Up to this point, he made a name for himself working in the studios of Ford and Lotus. But now he was ready to take a chance on a newcomer to the automotive sector: TWR Design. The firm was named after its founder Tom Walkinshaw, who was a bit of a legend in the racing scene. To quickly touch on his accolades, he became the 1974 BTCC champion and then went on to establish his own competitive outlet in 1976. The team was dominant in the early 1980s. Whether it was a Mazda, BMW, or Jaguar, it didn’t matter what the club got their hands on. You were probably getting smoked. Selling cars with the Tom Walkinshaw Racing name attached motivated him to start a development house of his own. Stevens was ecstatic to come aboard, but right after he assumed the post, another company threw a project in front of him that he couldn’t turn down. A project that would eventually materialize into the McLaren F1. He needed to find a replacement for the TWR position before taking on the new job, and that’s where Callum came in.
Callum left Ford and started at TWR Design in 1989. It was a shock to go from the sprawling campuses of a major automaker to a homely shed in the small town of Kidlington. The change of scenery also came with an increase in responsibilities. Callum wouldn’t have very much time to acclimate himself to the new studio. His first assignment was to revise the nose of the XJR15, as the original design caused the car to lift off the ground. After that, Walkinshaw had an unusual assignment for him.
Jaguar was working on a sports car all throughout the 1980s. The finer details are outside of the scope of this article, so for our purposes, just know that it was delayed to hell and strayed far from its original vision. Ford acquired control of the company in 1989 and put the project out to pasture. As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Walkinshaw planned on taking that car, trimming it down, and selling it back to Jaguar. The original design was envisioned around the 1986 XJs architecture. Walkinshaw wanted to build his around the XJS. The bones were older, but he became innately familiar with it during his days at his racing outlet. He gave the assignment to Callum and flipped it to Jaguar for a fraction of their original development cost. They must’ve been eager to wash their hands entirely of the ordeal, as they rebuffed TWRs proposal and developed something in-house.
TWR wouldn’t have to wait very long for another shot. Ford was in the middle of a buying spree. Prior to acquiring Jaguar, the company bought three-quarters of Aston Martin in 1987. The injection of cash didn’t come a moment too soon. For as rough as Jaguar looked back then, Aston Martin was in even worse shape. The oil crisis and devastating recessions sent them spiraling financially. Some Ford executives weren’t high on the purchase when it happened and didn’t think they’d be able to rebound. Aston Martin chairman Walter Hayes felt that they needed a more mainstream product if they wanted to survive. Walkinshaw made his move. He presented Hayes with the stillborn Jaguar and said that, with a few modifications, it could be the car that would change Aston Martin’s fortunes. Haynes agreed, and just like that, the project was underway.
This assignment really highlighted the stark differences between Ford and TWR Design. Sure, the jobs at Ford weren’t very exciting, but he at least had the benefit of working with a team. He could bounce ideas off of colleagues, get feedback from senior-level designers, and even have people from other departments lend their unique perspectives. In the case of the new Aston Martin, there was Walter, then Tom, then Ian and his small team of modelers. When you hear this, you might think that this was a welcome change. He didn't have to answer to anyone for the most part and he was able to make whatever decisions he pleased whenever he wanted. The ball was entirely in his court.
It was also a slippery slope. In a regular studio, your team would critique your work and try their hardest to hold you accountable. At TWR, Callum needed to be especially hard on himself and view his own decisions through multiple lenses. The project ingrained in him a level of self-reliance and confidence that he absolutely needed during the later stages of his career.
Aston Martin was short on cash and resources, so they had to scour the Ford parts bin for components. Tooling up for certain components was incredibly expensive. An article from Goodwood.com notes that it typically costs automakers about 450,000GBP to create mere tail light assemblies. Aston Martin practically only had the shirt on their back, so they had to use existing parts in creative ways. While we’re on the issue of tail lights, let’s talk about those first. They’re the exact same units from the Mazda 323F. A few changes were made to make the transition smoother. On the Mazda, they’re the same height most of the way through and cut down sharply to the bottom. The DB7s taper down more gracefully.
Because they’re thinner, they appear longer and, in turn, make the car look wider. The manner in which they interact with the wide rear haunches could make one think they were designed especially for it. They don’t look out of place at all. That’s not the only Mazda the DB7 borrows parts from. The turn indicators as well as the interior door handles are taken straight from the NA MX-5. Walter Hayes insisted on the car having flush, chrome door handles, and the only ones in the entire Ford catalog that fit the bill were from the Mazda 323 Wagon. The door mirror switches came from the Ford Scorpio.
Out of all the parts it did borrow, the only ones that didn’t come from Ford were the side mirrors and the dials in the IP. The gauges were lifted from the XJS and given a spit shine. The mirrors were from the CX, and this was far from the only British sports car to borrow them. The entire car cost about $30 million to develop which, relatively speaking, is a drop in the bucket. That’s about the price of a minor facelift nowadays.
Ford executives went to London to check on the team. They were expecting to lay eyes on a clay model, but TWR shocked them by rolling out a functioning prototype. It was then brought to the 1993 Geneva Motor Show without it having been greenlit by Ford first. It received critical acclaim, Ford pushed it through to production, and the rest is history.
This got the ball rolling for TWR Design. After the DB7, the firm strung together hit after hit. Volvo commissioned them to assist in the development of the C70. The automaker says that one of Callum’s sketches was set alongside a few other proposals. Those had the same orthogonal aesthetic that Volvo had used for decades. Callum’s, on the other hand, was far removed from the others, with its aggressive stance and raked back profile.
They say that the proposal was taken from sketch to production nearly unchanged. TWR also took on the bulk of production at a former Volvo plant in Uddevalla, Sweden. The car had a major impact on the look of future products and helped them shed their reputation as the producer of safe, though uninspired cars and ushered in the next phase of their design language. Nissan went to them when they set out to create the R390, a purpose-built racing machine that had its sights set on Le Mans.
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. Aston Martin Lagonda
Callum did more work for Aston Martin as well. In 1998, the Aston Martin Project Vantage was unveiled in Detroit wearing a lovely shade of British Racing Green. The car was a collaboration between Aston Martin, Ford Advanced Vehicle Technology, and a number of suppliers. It is an evolution of the design language that was first seen with the DB7. The grille gets a bit larger and uses brightwork to draw the eye. The headlights become more defined as well. Perhaps my favorite elements are the absolutely massive hips. Just look at them. They hint at the car’s rear-drive nature and suggest immense power.
This chrome element is also pretty neat. It starts at the innermost portion of the A-pillar, follows the rail, and follows around the rear glass. It was said that it could go from 0-60 in 4 seconds and reach speeds of 200MPH while also returning more than 20MPH. They originally didn’t even intend to produce the car, but the reception was so warm that they basically had no choice. It reached production pretty much as is in 2001 as the Vanquish. In the transition, it gained hood vents, got different mirrors, and had the rear end styling cleaned up.
No two projects were the same at TWR. One moment Callum could be designing a luxury GT, then work on a mainstream front-wheel drive coupe, then after that style a purpose-built racing machine with its sights set on winning Le Mans. He had a blast working there, but when a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream came about, he couldn’t resist taking it up.
J Mays, Ford’s styling chief, contacted Callum and laid out his ordeal. An unfortunate set of circumstances had left the Jaguar brand without a design director. Callum had proven himself more than capable of managing a team and J Mays wanted him to bring his expertise to Jaguar. At this point, the brand was under complete control of the Ford Motor Group, and you might think that there was bad blood between the two parties, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I’d left on great terms, but here’s a top tip: watch what you say when you leave a business as you never know what the future holds!”
Geoff Lawson, Jaguar’s former head of design, suffered a stroke after finishing a presentation and passed away far too young at the age of 54. He had held the position since 1984 and oversaw such iconic projects as the XJ200, S-Type, and multiple iterations of the XJ. Wolfgang Reitzle, Jaguar’s chairman at the time, surmised Lawson’s design philosophy by saying:
''His great gift was the ability to recognize the importance of classic styling cues from the great Jaguars of the past and then translate them into modern Jaguars in a new and contemporary fashion,''
Lawson was overseeing the development of an E-type for the new millennium before he passed on. It would be on Callum to pull it across the finish line. He says the car was almost complete by the time he made the switch and didn’t have much if any input on it.
The first car designed wholly under Callum’s guidance was the R-Coupe, which debuted at Frankfurt in 2001. It was the first product that came out of the Geoff Lawson Advanced studio. It’s primarily a think tank to experiment with and develop a design language for the company’s future. Think BMW’s Technik for something similar. It took the classic Jaguar form language and put a new twist on it. The grille, for instance, was heavily inspired by the one from the 1959 Jaguar MK2. It has rounded edges with the cat emblem set dead center. Whereas that car’s grille protrudes from the body somewhat, the one on the R-Coupe was set inside of the nose. The mass is emphasized even further because of the mesh grille. A character line comes from it, bisects the traditional Jaguar quad headlamps, and creates a crease on the side that tapers away into the rear bumper’s panel gap.
He didn’t mince words when he revealed what the intent of the car was. "Our future models will remember our great models of the past" continues Callum, "but we won't be beholden to them." Jaguars designed in the last quarter or so of the 20th century gave more than a nod to their forebears. Don’t get me wrong. There isn’t anything necessarily wrong with this. He just felt that the brand hadn’t done enough to push itself out of its bubble. They’d gotten comfortable. In an interview with Australian car website carexpert.com, he went on to say…
“Once [Jaguar founder, Sir William] Lyons left the business in the early/mid-’70s effectively, there was nobody really pushing the brand forward. They just kept copying the past, and that was the mistake they made. Lyons would never have done that. He wasn’t sentimental, Lyons, he kept pushing forward. That is what I think happened to Jaguar, it became a sentimental car company. It took the customers with it for that reason.
Of course, eventually, they all got very old. So I saw an opportunity after that car to recreate the brand back to where I felt it should be, and back into the glamour and modernity of where the cars used to be back in the early/mid-’60s or late ’60s. That was my reference to Jaguar, and that’s what I tried hard to bring back to it – I thought it was a rightful thing to do. Of course, it took quite a lot of persuasion because there were quite a few diehard Jaguar fans within the business who felt it was about tradition, and that’s what they felt most comfortable with.
We had a lot of American management at that point because Ford had come into play, and they certainly had a view that Jaguar – jag-war – was a good old English car company, it should be traditional. I didn’t agree with that.
It was a very different place. My objective was to turn it into somewhere that was relevant to the 21st century, really – exactly when I started, 1999. I thought this is it, I’ll call it a 21st-century car company.”
He didn’t wait very long to leave his mark on their production cars. He and his team began development on a successor to the aging XK8 in the year 2000. The car itself wasn’t that old. It was released in 1996. Its underpinnings were based on the XJS, a car that was first launched over a quarter-century ago. A follow-up to this car was critical. It helped ground the company as sales of their other models floundered. It was especially vital to their success in the American market.
The scope of its replacement would be a bit different. Whereas the outgoing model was more focused on occupants in the front than in the back, the new car would be more in the vein of a true 2+2. It would have no allusions of being a successor to the E-Type like the XJS. It would also, finally, ditch the old bones and be built upon entirely new architecture.
A number of themes were explored and by September they had created 5 40% scaled models. By the end of 2001, they also created 3 full-scale convertible models. Among these was a hardtop convertible. This was conceived back when hardtop convertibles were in vogue. Cars like the Cadillac XLR, Lexus SC430, and Mercedes R230 were getting ready to hit the market. Unfortunately, it didn’t make it past this stage, as they felt the sacrifices to exterior styling and interior ergonomics needed to make it work were too great.
By April of 2002, they created three full-scale coupe models. From these, they selected one and made two more exploring ideas from that basic design. The car was more fully realized in the ensuing months and by September of 2003, they were ready to sign off on it. It debuted as the creatively named Advanced Lightweight Coupe Concept in 2005 and saw production a few years later as the XK mostly intact, save for some of the jewelry.
2011 Jaguar XK. Jaguar Media
The XK was an important car for Jaguar, but it wasn't exactly a mainstream product. It had a more niche customer base. Therefore, they had a bit more leeway in regards to liberties taken with the classic Jaguar look. The real question lay in what Callum planned to do with their sedans. The entry-level X-Type, mid-range S-Type, and flagship XJ were all cast from a mold that was decades in the making, and even minor alterations to the formula were sure to divide opinions.
We would get a taste of things to come in 2007 with the debut of the C-XF concept. Its front end definitely makes an impression. The grille has a similar shape to the ones from the X-TYPE and XJ, but the C-XFs interpretation is much more powerful. Instead of protruding out of the front end, it's planted firmly into the front end, even more so than ones from Callum's previous concepts. It also uses the brightwork to its advantage. The outer ornamentation gives the illusion of it sinking deeper than it actually does. Lastly, it sports a fresh interpretation of the cat. It's housed in its own little cubby. It is also finished in chrome and comes at you like a 15th-century relief. Consider it a less impactful but infinitely more versatile version of the leaping cat.
The headlights are another interesting development. It's a more modern interpretation of their classic quad headlamps. The bodywork cuts into them well before they're able to round out, making for slimmer, more aggressive units on the whole. It's almost like an abbreviated version of BMW's halo DRLs.
The profile doesn't even resemble a jaguar. Saloons in the past have utilized a three-box architecture with quite a bit of rear overhang. They also had thin c-pillars that had the rear glass wrap around them. The roofline on the C-XF sweeps back in one single motion. It’s dramatic, but it also means that it has to sacrifice the large DLO from its 4-door forbearers. But concept cars are usually concerned with making a statement, and this one C-XF has to speak on a brand’s future design language.
Door handles were always a way for the brand to tastefully add a bit more brightwork. Here, they’ve been integrated into the pillars. This gives the main character line a wide-open lane across the body and into the shoulders. Speaking of which, that line really is something else. It starts at the lower front lip, emphasizes the wheels on the way up, continues through the headlamp, transitions into the aforementioned character line, and bends around the rear deck. The way it defines this part of the car is akin to a finely pressed suit if I can borrow some terminology from Bill Mitchell.
It’s painted in Metashine Silver, a one-off color that makes the car appear as if it were milled from a single block of metal. The chrome and aluminum finishes heighten this effect, and Jaguar designers also used white ceramic on the tailpipes, hood scoops, and side vents to hint at their heat ventilation and air transferring properties. The car looks flat at first glance, but it really does have a remarkable amount of depth.
We wouldn’t have to wait long for it to see production. The C-XF was shown at the beginning of 2007, and the real thing debuted at Frankfurt that same year in September. Although the truly out-there elements, like the pillar-mounted door handles and ceramic finishes, were left on the cutting room floor, a surprising amount of the DNA made the jump. We can even make out that distinguishing character line. How’d it go again? Straight across the deck, right underneath the beltline, and right between the… what the hell? What happened to the headlights?
I know the C-XF was a concept and we can’t expect every little detail to transfer seamlessly to the production car, but how could they possibly be this far off the mark? I wasn’t able to find a definitive answer, but the general gist is that engineering constraints meant they couldn’t produce them in their previous state in a cost-effective manner. At any rate, this was the most divisive element among Jaguar faithful and remains a hot conversation topic. If you look closely, you’ll see a massive panel gap at the hood cut line. This isn’t an assembly error (though I wouldn’t blame you for thinking that it was.) This was something Jaguar was legally required to have. A 2008 LA Times article goes on to say…
“Apparently the problem arose because of an outdated French motor vehicle requirement that owners be able to change the bulbs in the headlamps. In any event, it makes the car look as if the hood isn’t closed.”
I thought he was exaggerating when he said that last part, but now that I've seen it I can’t unsee it.
Callum and his team set their sights on the flagship XJ next. Throughout their turbulent history, the car has been a constant in Jaguar’s lineup. It’s had the same basic look with a few changes since 1968. For as much resistance they faced with the S-Type’s replacement, they were at serious risk of alienating a large portion of the car’s customer base. The six months preceding development were focused on hashing out what the car should be. Should it embrace the direction set forth by the C-XF or should it continue on its current path? Extensive discussions were carried out internally and design clinics were carried out to see what customers thought. It was a landslide. Buyers were ready for a change.
2011 Jaguar XJ. Jaguar Cars Ltd.
The 2010 XJ was that dramatic change. The front end is a cleaner interpretation of the C-XF, with the headlights more closely resembling the units from the concept. The grille also carries over, but here it’s absolutely massive. Callum said it was about 10 percent larger than he was comfortable with. He felt that, in about 3 years’ time, the public would come to embrace it.
The profile adopts the same rakish cabin from the XF, but there is one surprising development around the C-pillar. This part of the rail is darkened which, when taken in with the window trim, gives the impression of an impossibly thin pillar. The lights are also of note. They harken back to the days when Jaguars had vertical lighting units. The team gave them a modern touch by playing with the width and bringing them up the rear deck. When asked about his approach to the design of the rear end during an interview with Digital Trends, Callum had this to say.
“I really like what we’ve done with the back of the car. Even as a team of designers, we were having rather controversial moments amongst ourselves. We started off with the back end of the car, which was relatively generic, the graphics were. I really didn’t feel comfortable. I kept saying, “We’ve got to do something special here.” So we pushed and we pushed. You have to be brave, and I’m learning that as I get older. I’ve gotten to a point where I care less about what my peers think, and I do what I think is probably the right thing to do. Age gives you that advantage sometimes. The ego is less dentable when you’re older. The back actually works well, it has a real character about it.”
And with that, the transformation was finished. The last of the XJS has been put out to pasture with the all-new XK, a new design language was set in place with the mid-size XF, and their long-running flagship vehicle had undergone its first full makeover in what seemed like eons. But Callum wasn’t going to sit on his laurels. The brand showed what they had in store for the new decade with a pair of concepts.
2011 Jaguar XJ. Jaguar Cars Ltd.
The C-X75 show car debuted in 2010 and showed the brand’s willingness to embrace alternative propulsion methods. It was a hybrid, but not in a traditional sense. There are electric motors at each of the wheels, and the batteries that power them are charged by two diesel-powered micro gas turbines. The design team didn't have to work around a large, bulky engine, and could therefore create something that otherwise might not have been possible.
The car has unreal dimensions. It's 183 inches long and sits on a 107-inch wheelbase. It’s also 80 inches wide while also only being 47 inches tall. The driver is positioned in the middle of the car, similar to old school supercars like the Ford GT40 and Lamborghini Miura.
The thing that dictated the design and engineering the most was airflow. The turbines operate at 80,000 RPM and require 25,000 liters of air per minute. The gigantic hood scoop, front intakes, and side channels all do their part in feeding the beasts and providing as much downforce as possible. They aid in performance in ways you might not expect. Each motor weighs about 50KG and produces 195HP. They also combine for nearly 2000lb-ft of torque. Additionally, turbines don’t require lubrication to operate like their dinosaur-fueled brethren. This unusual weight saving does a bit to stave off the extra heft put on by the batteries. The wheels, which were cut from a single block of aluminum, are inspired by the shape of the blades in the jet engines.
In May of 2011, the company announced they were going to build a run of 250 examples at a price of 700,000GBP apiece. The turbines were going to be swapped out in favor of a setup involving a 1.6L 4 cylinder engine and axle-based electric motors. The company has since backpedaled on these plans, citing the global economic situation at the time and a desire to focus on other endeavors.
The Jaguar lineup would expand regardless. The C-X16 concept previewed the look of the 2014 F-Type. The grille from the C-X75 carried over, but besides that, the car is a clean-sheet design. The rear lights do their part to lower and widen the smallest Jaguar since the XK120, and they would become a staple in Jaguar’s design language. Decades after seeing that E-Type in the Edinburg showroom, Callum finally got the chance to do one of his own, or something close to it.
Jaguar C-X75. Jaguar Cars Ltd.
Eventually, the time had come for them to add an SUV to their lineup. Everyone else either had or was going to add one to their range. Porsche had the Cayenne, Bentley would get the Bentayga, and even Lamborghini would get the Urus in the ensuing years. I’d say the F-Pace is one of the better efforts in this regard. It uses their newfound design language. Up to this point, it has only appeared on sedans and the F-Type. There was a strong possibility that it could look ungainly when applied to a larger, taller vehicle, but it puts those concerns to rest. The horizontal nature of the grille, headlights, and lower clip does more than enough to neutralize the added mass. The profile is headlined with a thin DLO lined in bright work. And the whole thing is capped off with a set of tail lights inspired by those from the F-Type.
Some concessions had to be made with the smaller E-Pace. The reduced dimensions meant they had to swap out the aggressive, thin headlights for comparatively docile vertical ones inspired by those from the F-Type. It also loses the solid SUV stance, instead opting for a more aerodynamic taper at the back end.
The 2019 I-Pace hints at what’s to come in Jaguar’s electrified future. This was their first effort at an all-electric vehicle, but they already look comfortable designing around the new architecture. Very minimal front and rear overhangs pull the wheels out to the corners while the low overall profile visually stretches the body out. It’s a breath of fresh air compared to the cladded out hatchbacks on stilts that are being churned out elsewhere.
The path forward looks bright for them, but Callum's part in it was finished. On July 1st, he retired from his post as the brand’s director of design. Though he wasn’t putting away his sketchpad for good. A short time after his leave, he announced the creation of CALLUM, his own design consultancy that would specialize in limited runs of high-end luxury goods. The studio launched with a staff of 18 people, some of who Callum became acquainted with during his time at Jaguar.
He divulged a bit about the projects he’d be most interested in working on in an interview with Car and Driver, saying:
“I’d like to take some of the cars I’ve designed and maybe redo them a little bit,” Callum admitted. “It’s a good starting point because I think I’ve got the right to take those cars and do something with them, whether they are Astons or Jaguars. But ultimately I want to do something more than that—to work on forward-looking projects. I don’t want to be seen as just a chop shop.”
Vanquish 25 By Callum. Callum Design
One of the first projects to come from the firm was the Aston Martin Vanquish 25. This was a fine-tuning of the classic, with changes that brought it closer to his original vision. The 350 modifications done to the original car include redone bodywork, a refined suspension setup, and a more powerful version of the stock V-12. Production was outsourced to a British company by the name of R-Reforged. Prior to collaborating with CALLUM, they took on the construction of the limited-run Aston Martin V12 Zagato. As the name implies, only 25 examples of the Vanquish were produced. It started at about $464,000, and this skyrocketed with options. And did I mention that you also had to provide a donor car?
CALLUM has also taken a stab at furniture design. The firm released its version of the iconic Eames chair and ottoman. This interpretation borrows a fair bit from his automotive background. The upholstery and support combinations are more vibrant than the standard options. It also utilizes and proudly displays, carbon fiber weave throughout. It’s much in the same vein as the Vanquish 25. Although he didn’t have a part in the original, he was able to bring his unique perspective to the table in his reimagining of an industrial design icon.
Ian Callum is a prime example of a self-made success. He went through an unusual education path and landed a job at Ford. He made the most of his opportunities. And when the right job came up he was prepared to take on the extra responsibilities. At TWR, he worked on some of the most iconic cars of the 90s and developed crucial leadership skills. And he lived out his childhood dream of designing cars for Britain's most iconic automaker. When he came to Jaguar in 1999, it was a company that was living in its own shadow of its former glory. When he left, it found itself using a new design language and embracing electric propulsion. Although he’s stepped away from the automotive industry, Ian Callum has forever changed the face of the British car industry and is certainly an Industry Icon!