While he arguably doesn’t have the same sort of name recognition as some modern car designers like Chris Bangle, Henrik Fisker, Adrian van Hooydonk, or Ian Callum, Frank Stephenson is absolutely one of the most influential designers of the modern automotive world. He’s designed many prominent models for an A-list of brands, including Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat, Ferrari, Ford, Lancia, Maserati, Mini, and McLaren, and you should know he’s true to his name – he is happy to give a frank opinion on other designers’ vehicles.
In this case, writing for Top Gear magazine, he has the Jaguar Type 00 concept in his sights. It gets a little spicy, as one of his comments likens the Type 00 to something designed by a first-year design student.
“Flat And Unrefined”
Stephenson’s portfolio of car designs is enviable to say the least, but he’s risen dramatically in the public eye since 2020 with his eponymously titled YouTube channel. But here, he’s at his most forthright, labeling the Jaguar Type 00 as “forgettable from nearly every angle.” He puts that down to the flat, bland body panels with no points of interest across the bodywork.
“The overall design lacks cohesion and seems unfinished. That’s a recurring theme – unfinished surfaces. Many panels appear flat and unrefined, like early stage clay work. There’s no sense of surface entertainment – nothing sculptural or dynamic to catch the light or hold visual interest.”
– Frank Stephenson
According to Stephenson, the Type 00 “feels like a concept that wasn’t fully thought through before it went to prototype,” citing a number of bold ideas that aren’t fully resolved. He then moves on to the Type 00’s proportions, saying they seem forced. Despite having the classic sports car formula of a long hood and a short deck, one could easily argue that it does indeed look forced. And the large wheels, which are certainly trendy on modern vehicles, convey a “toylike manner” according to Stephenson.
Jaguar Has A Lot Of Work To Do
“The car severely misses the Jaguar villainy,” is perhaps Stephenson’s sharpest insight. At minimum, there has been a roguishness to Jaguar designs since the beginning. Particularly in the iconic E-Type which the Type 00 seems to lazily try and ape in proportions. But, while that might be his sharpest insight, the most brutal criticism is that the car “feels unautomotive.”
“It lacks refinement, intent, and emotion,” Stephenson adds, “There’s a ‘Cybertruck effect’ at play: the pursuit of boldness without enough attention to proportion, purpose or execution.” Indeed, there was a concern among some designers we spoke to when the Cybertruck launched about the effect it could have on design if the Cybertruck became successful with suits wanting to replicate it.
Curiously, the person credited with the Jaguar Type 00’s exterior design is Gerry McGovern. When becoming Director of Advanced Design for Land Rover in 2004, he said that, “Land Rover fascinates me more than any other carmaker because it has its roots in pure design as opposed to styling.” Purely as an observation, McGovern designed the new Land Rover Defender and the current generation of Range Rover.
So far, Jaguar’s rebranding and its “Copy Nothing” campaign hasn’t gone well in terms of initial reception. It’s been greeted with a range between skepticism and outright disdain, although the incoming CEO, P.B. Balaji, is claiming that “we have put our plans together, the cars are being revealed, they’re getting exciting response from the customers on the ground. Therefore, that’s what the strategy is.”