Life as the exterior design manager for Jaguar has to be a tough task right about now. Your latest project is the incredibly controversial Type 00 (now Type 01), and there is nothing currently at dealers. So what do you do to take a break from designing what might be one of the strangest new cars ever? Apparently, you design some 1970s-inspired Corvettes.
A Corvette From A Jaguar Expert
Canadian designer Jason Battersby is responsible for exterior design at JLR, a role he has held since January 2024. Like many designers, his imagination has ideas that go well beyond his latest Jaguar Design Vision concept. Bringing them to rendered life is a great way to express that, even if the result happens to be a competitor’s car.
His latest is a car called the Stingray Homage. The idea, Battersby said in a post to Instagram, was “to create a true homage to both C2 and C3 gen Stingrays.”
The car captures some of the best elements of both of those Chevrolet Corvette generations. His design blends features like the flip headlights of the C2 and that car’s side lines and prominent nose with the curves, bulges, and scoops of the C3.
It manages to take the later Corvette and modernize it, without re-capturing the garish extremes of the 1970s-era original. “Upon first glance, there could be no question about its Stingray DNA. If you look deeper I also tried to connect the surfacing and details back to the actual Stingray fish. The result is something both respectful of the past, yet leans elegantly towards the future,” Battersby posted.
Related
The Model Meant To Save Jaguar Is Finally Looking Like Something Real
Take a good look at Jaguar’s upcoming electric sedan, reportedly packing 986 horsepower.
There are even shades of C8 in the rear, though those shades are because of the C8’s own inspiration from Corvette’s history. The tiny split-window rear glass and bulging rear fenders are pure ‘Vette. Even the quad taillights, which are vertical instead of circular, manage to capture a Corvette vibe.
Elegant Corvette Design That Isn’t Too Aggressive
Battersby described the C2 as being sporty but not angry. “Not purposefully aggressive.” He tried to capture the elegance of that car in his new design using surfacing and proportion instead of sharp angles and details meant to make it look angry. The result is a car unlike most modern supercars and instead one with a more classic look. Like a previous-generation Aston Martin Vanquish, or a Ferrari Amalfi.
In the renderings, sitting alongside the two cars it’s based on, this homage to the classic Corvette looks stunning. We thought we loved the C8, but even though this concept probably has its engine mounted in the front, we think we like this one more.
Related
Leave It To A Mercedes Designer To Create An Incredible Corvette
Some of the best Corvette features combine into a classic-style masterpiece.
It’s as far from a Jaguar as you can probably get, though many might say that’s true about the upcoming Type 01 as well. But that’s the thing that reassures us at least a little bit about the future of Jaguar design. If the person who is in charge over there can create something like this, then they clearly know what they are doing. Which can only mean good things once the next production Jaguar vehicles start to arrive.
Source: JBdesign_ca / Instagram
