One of the automotive design greats is taking a new look at a modern classic supercar. Callum Designs, the company run by former Ford, Jaguar, and Aston Martin designer Ian Callum, has just released images of a new XJ220. The project is a design study for now, but it sounds like the company is looking to bring it to life. And let’s just say it’s pretty much the exact opposite of modern Jaguar’s design language, presented first with the Type 00 concept and later with the Type 01 production car.
The XJ220 If It Were Created In 2026, Not 1992
Callum Designs XJ220Callum Designs
With just one image, it’s tough to get a good look at this car, but it immediately impresses. If you’re looking for the excessively long profile of the original Jag XJ220, you won’t find it here. Instead, this car has had its overhangs chopped off in a way that makes it look more like a take on Ford’s classic GT40. From there, deep cuts and even deeper vents pop, while the wheel arches bulge out over the tires with a presence that calls to mind the C2 Chevrolet Corvette.
The car isn’t just a rehash of other ideas, though other familiar Callum shapes are visible, including an A-pillar and roofline that brings to mind the Aston Martin DB9. On the other hand, looking at that line on this car and both the DB9 and the original XJ220 shows that there may have been plenty of the latter behind the design of the former.
Callum describes it as “a contemporary interpretation of one of the most iconic supercars ever made,” and says that “this concept preserves the unmistakable silhouette of the original while redefining every surface, detail and proportion through a modern lens.”
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Callum calls it a study, created to showcase what the company is able to do. That’s what the design firm does: it creates compelling shapes and then helps bring them to life for customers who want something nobody else has. Other Callum Designs vehicles include a 110-horsepower restomod Mini, a road-legal C-X75 – the car created for a Bond movie, a re-imagined Vanquish, and a custom electric off-roader called the Skye. If you want it, the company will find a way to help make it happen.
Is This A Reply To Jaguar’s Rebrand And Redesign?
Callum Designs XJ220Callum Designs
Ian Callum started his career as a designer with Ford, where he worked on models including the RS200 and the Escort RS Cosworth. He later moved to TWR Design, where he helped create the 2001 Aston Martin Vanquish as well as the Volvo C70 and Nissan R390.
He took the helm at Jaguar and Aston Martin in 1999, overseeing a string of cars from both brands that revolutionized both. That said, he was also there for the X-Type and the 2010s XJ, proving that not everyone has a perfect record.
With Callum Designs, he and his team have worked on bespoke vehicles as well as consulting design work for other companies, both automotive and not. The resume includes Singer, Ineos, Zagato, and even British Airways. While the designer is no longer with Jaguar, he has been vocal about the company’s new direction and the Type 00 concept. Earlier this year, he described it as “bold” and “brave,” but said that “it’s not beautiful. And Jaguars need to be beautiful.”
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It’s worth noting that Callum led Jaguar design through 2019. As such, he was involved in future Jaguar models that were ultimately shelved as the company pivoted to a full EV reboot, starting with the Type 00 concept. As such, he may not have the most objective voice when it comes to Jaguar’s current direction. But on the same note, we can’t help but wonder if this design study might be a response to the automaker’s highly polarizing new car, showing the world what a modern Jag could really look like.
Source: Callum Designs / Facebook
