Timelessness is of the essence

Editor’s note: This is the first in an occasional series in which Dan Neil asks designers, engineers and executives to discuss their work and the future of the automotive industry. First up, Ian Callum, who became director of styling for Jaguar Cars in 1999 after the sudden death of Geoff Lawson. Lawson was responsible for cars such as the XJ6 and XJ8, the S-Type and the XK8. Before coming to Jaguar, Callum was the chief designer for TWR Design and was responsible for styling of the Aston Martin DB7. Born in Dumfries, Scotland, Callum received a master’s degree in industrial design at Royal College of Art in London and was for a time design manager for Ford’s Ghia Design Studio in Turin, Italy. Here, in his own words, Callum discusses the notion of iconic automotive design:

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LISTEN in to any discussion on design -- especially car design -- and sooner or later you’ll hear something described as “iconic.” In truth, it’s an overused word, but when something really is iconic it more than deserves the tag.

With car design, it’s often sports cars that receive the accolade. There are a number of Jaguars that over the years have been described as iconic, most notably the E-type, but also the XJ. And on more than one occasion, I’ve been told that the XKR is an iconic design.

Any iconic car is all about aesthetics -- the way the car looks is what makes them memorable for most people. Consider the Mini, the 911, the Beetle, the E-type -- I’ll bet that almost everybody reading this can picture them in their minds, even if they have never owned or even driven one.

It may sound obvious, but when you design any car, you aim to make it as special as possible. But there are constraints. In 2004, these include not only legislative requirements for crash performance and pedestrian safety, but also the demands of manufacturing feasibility and quality and the fact that people are growing larger. Every iconic sports car is compromised on ‘package’ [the amount of space inside], but exciting forms eat up space. That’s the way it is.

You cannot fully understand a car’s character until it is finished and in its proper environment, which is on the road. In the final analysis, it’s all about proportion and stance. For a sports car like the XKR, that means exuding not only beauty but also power and confidence. And if a car has enough of all of those things, it can become iconic.

Actually, I think of the XKR as timeless rather than iconic. It’s not beholden to any specific style or era, although you can see some influences from the soft, flowing, homogenous forms that were cutting-edge in the early ‘90s. Perhaps most importantly, when you look at the XKR you can see points of reference and understanding -- and that’s because it is a Jaguar.

There is a clear association between design and brand -- people expect cars to have a certain look -- and that’s one of the reasons the XKR design is admired. Ask yourself whether the E-type could have been anything but a Jaguar and you’ll see what I mean.

Finally, remember that it takes a long time for the work of a car designer to reach the public eye. I joined Jaguar in 1999, and “my” first car will go on sale in 2006. I hope that you like it.