THE ICONIC JAGUAR E-TYPE

On the topic of the E-Type, that iconic English sports car turned 50 this year and the opportunity to celebrate the E-Type wasn’t lost on Jaguar, who paraded over 50 classic Jags (owned by collectors) in Frankfurt prior to the C-X16’s launch event, parking them in front of and around the Palais Thurn und Taxis where the event was held.  (The E-Type, whose production stopped in 1975, has appeared in numerous movies ranging from Harold and Maude (1971) to The Avengers (1998) to the Shaguar that appeared in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1999).  I’d expect to see a C-X16 on the big screen in the not-too-distant future as well.)

Inside the C-X16, the Vermillion Red leather makes a powerful and bold statement although one presumes that Jaguar will also offer buyers other interior options as well.  Ian Callum told me it was a “boyish indulgence” to make virtually everything inside red.

Similar to the way Jaguar concealed the exterior door handles, the interior has many secrets to reveal.

The dashboard itself is very clean and no vents are apparent. That’s because the vents from Intelligent Venting System rise from the deep confines of the dashboard to deliver hot or cold air when computer algorithms determine it necessary – and then retract until needed again.  Similarly, the twin-dial instrument panel is hidden by smoked glass until the car is started and turning on the car also lights up displays in the center console that are otherwise in stealth mode.

It seems as if the C-X16 is moving at 300 km/h towards being a production vehicle, having already been termed a “production concept.”  At the launch, Jaguar executives made many not-so-veiled references to its pending production status (i.e. “if it were to be produced, it will have a price range of €60-80,000.”)

The car itself is made of aluminum and – with a length of 175” (4,445 mm), width of 80.6” (2,048 mm) and height of 51.1” (1,297 mm) – it is the smallest Jag to come out of Sir William Lyon’s factory since the 1954 XK120.

Of course, all we saw was a “production concept”, so we can only imagine how it drives or talk to Jaguar executives who have driven it.  They speak of “inspirational performance” and “animal-like agility” and I have to believe they are right.

THE LAUNCH OF THE JAGUAR C-X16

DRIVING THE JAGUAR C-X16

 
CLASSIC JAGUARS

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