Back in November of last year, Jaguar seemed determined to prove that all they wanted to do was set everything on fire and then hire a bunch of ex-theater-kid dorks to dance on the ashes in 2017-era Fashion Week getups. They did a dramatic rebrand and showed a new logo that looked like they had taken all of Jaguar’s storied history and given it a nice soaking in urine. When they showed their new concept car that promised to be the new direction of Jaguar design, the Type 00, our captive designer Adrian Clarke wrote a piece titled Why Does The New Jaguar Type 00 Look Like A Concrete Shithouse?
As you may have inferred, nobody was really thrilled with the new direction of Jaguar design.
Now, though, the Type 00 concept has been seen out in public, on real public roads, in a real city, and I think I may somehow be warming up to this strange thing?
Here, you can see it in Paris, gliding around and looking like it somehow doesn’t exactly fully exist as part of our reality:
The Jaguar eventually came to a stop by the curb and disgorged strangely elven-looking actor Barry Keoghan:
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One interesting detail that was revealed was how the trunk is accessed on the car:
Now, I’m still not down with the no-rear-window look, because that’s just stupid and that retractable panel absolutely could have been a rear window, but it’s good to see how the cargo area is being treated here. It’s not exactly cavernous, but I’m still hoping at least some portion of that vast, runway-sized hood may be hiding a nice coffin-shaped frunk under there.
It may be the striking blue color, it may be the cartoonishly-exaggerated proportions, but whatever it is, this thing does have presence. It feels otherworldly and strange, I think in large part due to the minimal surface detailing and low-polygon, gouraud-shaded look of the thing, and as it slinks down a street it absolutely commands attention.
I think that’s kind of the whole point of this car, which means it’s doing its job successfully, which is all one can expect of a car. Of course, this is a concept car, still full of all sorts of concept car frippery and possessing a gleeful ignorance of practicality and regulations, so it can pull this sort of thing off with ease.
But it does give me some hope; hope that Jaguar will continue to make cars that turn heads, cars that when you encounter them, it feels like something special has happened in your day. I think the original E-Type had that quality, albeit in a more conventionally lovely way, but I do think some production version of the Type 00 may be able to pull it off as well.
This could end up being something akin to the Tesla Cybertruck, design-wise, in the sense that while I may not particularly like it specifically, I like that it exists, and I think the overall car-space is better for having such outliers in it.
This thing is out there in the world, but doesn’t quite feel like a part of it. It’s aggressively artificial, contrived, the polar opposite of anything natural, something that kicks the idea of harmony down to the ground and then gives it a silver lamé jumpsuit and a bottle of vodka-spiked blue Gatorade by way of apology. The apology is insincere, too.
But that’s what I like about this thing. It’s unashamed and a little ugly and brash and showy and striking and it turns mundanity into an event. So good for you, Jaguar. Maybe you’re actually going to fight your way out of that pit of irrelevance with enough loud madness. That is, if you can pull off a production version that somehow keeps all of these elements, which will be no small feat.
Despite my better judgement, I think I’ll be rooting for you.
Wow. To me, it just looks like a Villain-mobile from some weird superhero comic-based movie franchise. So. Incredibly. Ugly.
Not to mention ludicrously impractical.
I do like the color, but not the shape or that it’s matte finish, which will never, ever, again look as good as it did pulling out from the showroom floor.
I thought it was CGI? I’m not sure if I’m impressed or disturbed. Its really a prop so I guess that continues. Are they actually keeping anything from it or just the normal we spent millions building this weird one off vehicle.
I’m not saying I don’t like it. I’m saying it doesn’t say Jaguar.
Jaguars are cats. Cats are curvy. They might be fat and lazy or lean and athletic, but the fact is that cats are all curves. The very term Feline implies curves to mean.
If I don’t think of it as a Jaguar, but almost any other name, I’m pretty cool with it. It would be a cool Lexus or Mercedes or the like. But the sharp corners and shape that isn’t draped over the taunt muscles of a sports car under it, just doesn’t say Jaguar.
I feel the same way about it that I do the cybertruck (worth noting I’m not among the CT butthurt).
It’s unique, but in a way that appears largely inconvenient and unnecessary. It’s not awful looking, nor do I find it attractive. My thoughts about it begin and end with . . . Why?
Eh, “the Type 00 is a non-production vehicle” completely kills it for me. I too can make a fancy parade float powered by a washing machine motor and creep around city streets, that an $3.95 will get me a cup of coffee these days. Show me a production version and we’ll talk.
This, we can love a concept car to the moon, for those who care.
Its what “we” get that counts.
Love child of the Mohs Ostentatienne Opera Sedan and a Kellison J6
I would prefer either of the above however.
Is it just me or does anyone else see the weird text formatting at the top?
That “trunk” opening is 100% going to be replaced by a rear window. It would just work way too easily. I’ll bet $102.
So when they make a car based on this design; how much of the design will remain?
I’d paint it flat black and do a remake of “The Car.”
Bad Blue Batmobile.
I call this one “Bad Photoshop in Car Form”
I guess it’s impressive that they managed to make a real object look unrealistic, kind of like those car wraps that look cel shaded, but the jury’s still out on whether that’s a good thing or not. I’ll probably have to see one in person to decide.
I wouldn’t hold your breath on seeing one in 3D.
This is the automotive version of little kids’ creature drawings becoming 3D animations.
its just a low res e-type.
I don’t hate it, but it’s definitely jarring.
I’ve never thought it was bad (aside from the slabs at the front and rear), but it just doesn’t fit the brand.
I’m curious how that exterior finish will wear. In these photos it looks like either a vinyl wrap, or just a photoshopped SolidWorks render. Curious what it looks like in person.
Harley-Davidson has been selling “denim” finishes on their bikes for years now. It wears (gets shiny) where it’s touched frequently or rubbed and it can’t be buffed out if scratched – it has to be repainted to return to the original look.
In the HD world people who view it as a type of patina seem to like it. Something tells me Jaguar buyers will be less enthusiastic.
I’m definitely at the “hate it less” stage, and I love that they are going full in on color thanks goodness.
It all hinges on how this translates to the production model. I see where they are going, let’s see if they can stick the landing.
I still don’t like it personally but I think a large part of the distaste a lot of people have may be based in the way they revealed it with that weird ad, new logo, etc.. if all that didn’t exist and it was just the car I think people may have a little more faith in what Jaguar is doing. But it’s still not a good looking car either way.
Agree, that whole thing was such a $#!? show that it reflected poorly on the car . . . Which is mediocre at best. If it was amazing I think people would have looked past the launch nonsense.
That said, I personally still can’t see past the mixed upper and lower case letters in their logo. Ugh . . . Why!?!
Way better than the Cybertrick. This is fairly normal styling, but evolved.
That’s like saying I’m less rotund than Tom Candy was. In that:
LOL!!!!
Front is still baaaaaaaaaaaaad
The way the color and finish is in those photos makes it look like an absolutely dogshit product rendering photoshop on Temu. Not a comment on the design, truly just the way it appears in those photos, it does not look like a real object in space
Exactly. This looks like a real-life video overlaid with some kind of AR. And it’s definitely the matte finish messing with our perception.
Having been working on renders for the past week 100%
That thing is awful – Adrian hit the nail on the head.
That car looks like it should be driven by Rocky from Looney Tunes
https://looneytunes.fandom.com/wiki/Rocky_and_Mugsy?file=RockyandMugsyProfile.png
Compromised visibility, combined with the length of an oil-tanker-for-a-front-end would make this seriously unfun to drive in any urban area.
I couldn’t imagine trying to fit it into any sensible parking.
I like it more than I did when I saw the initial renderings and for the crowd they’re trying to attract there’s no such thing as bad attention, so who knows…maybe this will work.
I dislike it less…?
There’s so much going on with the shape and color that it kinda hurts my brain. You’re spot on that it doesn’t look like it should exist in our universe. The reaction I’m having to it is not dissimilar to the first time I saw the Treehouse of Horror VI short “Homer3” when 3D Homer is dumped into the real world.
00 SUX
A British Tradition
I’d buy that for a dollar!
0.82 kWh/mile
I’d upvote this more if I could. I wasn’t sure what a good conversion was for bad BEV “Fuel” economy.