…..Fast forward the best part of 10 years, and, 2 Aston Martin Interior designs, a leg at Volvo in Sweden, and a full production interior for Ford later, and I am sitting in an office on Flinders Lane in Melbourne, Australia concentrating on my current and future life developing my own hot rod magazine, and photography career. Quite a change, you would have to agree.
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Now that I am entering a whole new genre, it is a refreshing experience to sit up here on the 3rd floor, in this stark white office, surrounded by graphic designers, web designers, and media personnel, and look through my 24″ LCD at what is going on back in the world that I left not all that long ago. Part of this is of course keeping tabs on the folk that I was once rubbing shoulders with in those various corners of the globe.
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Watching what Ian and Co. have been up to over the years has been great. The XK, the XF, and the new XJ have all come to light since I left, not to mention the odd concept thrown in to the mix.
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What excites me most is to see that the team is still having fun, pushing the boundaries, and not conforming to ‘trends’ that seem to get copied left right and centre. Yes, Bangle did have a massive effect on car design as a whole but, in my opinion, not in a good way. In a world where most companies seem to think it right to follow that bearded fruitcake, and put as much fussy detail and change of surface in to one panel as possible (my most recent employer, the ‘big blue oval’ was excessively guilty of this), it is delightful to see ‘The Jag’ going their own way and adhering to longevity, not short term fashion.
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To me, the new XJ makes a statement. It holds its head high and says “No”. It looks to the future, and leads a brand in a direction of strength and technical prowess. It’s not only the design that pushes this car forward, it’s the whole package. Of course, I can not enter in to a detailed technical analysis of this grand sculpture, as I have not driven one and nor am I likely to anytime soon.
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My comments are purely emotional. Not just as a random onlooker, but as someone who has been so heavily involved in the brand, who has spent thousands of hours in the presence of some of the most talented technical staff in The World, and who has had the ultimate honour of working for one of the finest design talents of recent times.
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To finish back on the Bangle note. The recently released ‘Gran Coupe’, although only viewed though my trusty 24″, appears to be quite a handsome devil, and a far cry from the epic fails of the 5, the 1, and that weird new hunchback niche-creating thing that has recently gone on sale.
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So, it seems, that even the ones that “revolutionised” automotive surfacing are toning things down again, going back to strong proportions, well placed lines, and exquisite detailing.
All the things that Mr Callum has never stopped doing over the last 10 years……
Luke Ray.
Photos courtesy of the JONISBAL blog. Thanks guys, superb imagery.