THE WAY IT COULD HAVE(AND SHOULD HAVE)BEEN

This morning's hot news certainly is the reveal of the Bertone B99 Concept Jaguar for the Geneva Motor Show. Looking at this concept this morning was very evocative because it reminded me what Jaguar design could have, and should have, been all along. Now, it's clear that Ian Callum has taken Jaguar design in an entirely new, and very much needed, direction with the XF and, more importantly, with the XJ. The XJ really marks a break from all of the previous Jaguar traditions that were embodied by the old XJ Series 1, 2 and 3. This is critical for Jag, as it was stuck in such a terribly mundane, morose and uncompetitive design ethic, based on these older XJ models. So I am happy for that, and the new XJ proves that you can do a really modern car that is a complete revolutionary break with the past, and do it well, and do it very successfully, and make it beautiful.

However, having said all that, looking at the B99 reminds me of all the things that Jaguar could have been during this period. Bertone design director Mike Robinson claims the car is not retro, but, in fact, the car has tremendous flourishes of the basic design themes incorporated in the XJC Coupe of the 70's, yet these design themes are reinterpreted, modernized, and smoothed over into an entirely elegant and fantastically beautiful profile. It's like what you would have imagined an XJC could have been, had it been updated successfully throughout the years.

Also, this concept highlights a couple of other existing observations I wanted to make this morning. The first is that sometimes a modern evocation of a classic design, such as the B99, if it is pulled off successfully and with enough subtlety, ends up doing a couple of important things. It looks new, it looks modern, yet it has an emotional hint of things gone by. It has an emotional linkage to the past through some of its specific design parameters. Now, in the case of the B99, obviously the heavy volume of the body and the wheels compared to the light glass house is certainly the first giveaway, but also the C pillar is very reminiscent of the XJC, as is the overall treatment of the body aft of the C pillar. Yet, at the same time, these are not in your face design themes. They are done subtly as to evoke the past only when looking at it through the present, which is the best way possible.

The last point about this concept is that it once again shows the power of Italian design. Italian design houses have traditionally produced not only some of the most beautiful cars in the world, but also some of the most beautiful concept cars based on cars from other countries, and this include Jaguar. There have been a number of Bertone and Pininfarina concept cars based off Jaguars that have been so much more beautiful than the production Jaguar, you simply had to look at them and wonder why didn’t they build this? In the case of the B99, the only response can be the same.

FERRARI FF THE YEARS MOST EXCITING CAR?

Although it is yet to be released and will not be officially shown thoroughly until the Geneva Motor Show next month, the Ferrari FF is stacking up to be one of the most, if not the most, exciting cars of the year 2011. This Ferrari breaks tremendous new ground in areas that are really exciting. Of course it is based on the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, but this is an entirely different vehicle and one that is sure to profoundly shake up the Ferrari aesthetic. The basic dynamic of this car is that it is essentially a shooting break. It is interesting that a lot of manufacturers have chosen to spin off design themes of some of their primary vehicles as shooting breaks, including Maserati, Aston Martin, but very few have gone into production. It is more remarkable because some of the shooting break concepts that were spun off from upper end mainstream models have really been beautiful. These have been incredibly attractive cars which added versatility, practicality, and, in some cases, were better looking than the cars from which they were derived, and yet none of the manufacturers took up the challenge to produce the car.

Now, in this case, Ferrari has started off with a clean sheet of paper. They are replacing the 612 with this car, and they have decided that in order to find a niche within a niche in their market they are going to build a four-seat shooting break. Let's take a look at the concept design and evolution of this model.

As I said, shooting breaks, especially in concept form, are nothing new. But this Ferrari is something radically new and different for Ferrari, and the reason for this is that it is truly (with the exception of the PNIN four-seat prototype) the only four-seat automobile that Ferrari has produced. Now, of course, Ferrari has produced many, many 2+2's, including the 365 GTC, the Mondial series, the 456, and others, but this is, again, according to Ferrari, their first true four-seat car, which makes it very radical and very exciting as a potential new model from this mark. Ferrari had said previously that they would never build a four door car, and they have stuck to that by designing a shooting break, which is essentially a three-door wagon configuration with enough length in the body to accommodate four normal-sized adults and their luggage. Ferrari essentially abandoned the idea of ever making a four-door car when Ferrari/Maserati brought out the Quattroporte, because this was, in essence, a four-door sedan with a Ferrari engine and much of the same mechanical componentry used in Ferrari. Ferrari was thus presented with the problem of how to expand their market base and how to meet some of their market demands, which go well beyond the two-seat sports cars that they are so famous for without compromising this stated limitation. The Ferrari FF is the perfect solution. And, more importantly, the car is just stonking beautiful. The shape is everything the 612 was not in terms of beauty, and it really looks to be a spectacular car. Steve Cropley of Autocar, who has seen the interior, describes it as absolutely beautiful, and certainly the mechanical specification of the car backs it up. It will have the latest generation magnetically adjustable dampers, standard Brembo carbon ceramic disc brakes, and a first for Ferrari, it will have a four-wheel-drive system. This four-wheel-drive system is called 4M (for Ruote Motrici), and the system is able to vary power delivery to the rear or all wheels, depending upon conditions. It has a new 6.25 V12 and a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, which Ferrari has really perfected with the California and the 458 Italia. So this looks to be a spectacular luxury package. The new name, FF, is derived from four seats and four wheel drive, and the car was designed at the Pininfarina studios. I'm telling you that if Ferrari ends up getting the interior dimensions of this car right, and four adults can actually sit comfortably in a way that is usually not possible, even in high-end luxury coupes, such as the Mercedes Benz CL, the BMW 6 series, the Bentley Continental GT, they will have scored a market coup of truly spectacular proportions. Geneva is only a few days away, and I will be the first to let you know.