Frank Stephensen is a man of many opinions. The longtime car designer, known for penning the McLaren P1, the Ferrari F430, and the Maserati MC12, has been sharing his thoughts on automobiles via YouTube since the pandemic, bringing his ideas to an entirely new audience. Since the world went back to normal, Stephenson hasn’t been posting as much. But every once in a while, he’ll take the time to shit on a design.
Stephensen’s latest target is the Jaguar Type 00, an all-electric concept heralded as the automaker’s savior as it rebrands itself and moves upmarket. The car has drawn countless opinions from automotive professionals thanks to its monolithic fascia and blocky profile, but Stephensen’s criticism stands out as especially judgmental and borders on insulting.
Here’s what he wrote about the car for Top Gear:
The Jaguar Type 00 feels like a concept that wasn’t fully thought through before it went to prototype. Visually, it presents a number of bold ideas, but none seem fully resolved. The car looks promising at a distance, but disappointing up close. 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.
In Jaguar’s defence, the Type 00 is, in fact, a prototype. The production version, which will start at around $130,000, will be a sedan, not a coupe. And anyone who knows cars knows that anything can change when a vehicle goes from concept to production. So it’s unclear just how much of the Type 00’s design will actually make it to the road. Judging by Stephensen’s thoughts, he’d likely be happy with some changes.
There’s no sense of surface entertainment – nothing sculptural or dynamic to catch the light or hold visual interest. It’s hard to find a single point of interest across the body, making the car forgettable from nearly every angle.
The proportions feel forced. The plus-sized wheels are attention-seeking, albeit in a toylike manner. The car severely misses the Jaguar villainy. The enormous wheels also distract from the front end and reinforce the impression that this is a design where individual elements were created in isolation and stitched together later.
He’s not alone in the critique. Adrian took a swing at modifying the Jaguar to make it a little more palatable.
While it’s certain some elements of the design will change, Jaguar promises the production Type 00 will look a lot like the car seen here—at least that’s what Jaguar USA boss Brandon Baldassari told me at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. His new boss, JLR CEO Adrian Mardell, also told reporters earlier this month the brand is getting an “exciting response” from customers on the car. Spy shots of test mules seen on public roads suggest similarly long-nosed proportions, though considering how much camouflage and extra body cladding shield the actual design, it’s tough to come to any conclusion right now.
One thing that certainly won’t change is the powertrain. Despite slowing demand for high-end EVs and tax incentives disappearing nationwide, the production Type 00 will remain an all-electric affair. Jaguar’s already promised a range north of 400 miles, which should satiate buyers held back by range anxiety. Basically, Jaguar’s plan is to get people in the door with a polarizing design, and then sell them on the range and tech.
Whether that plan will work remains a mystery. JLR expects volume to drop significantly and average transaction prices to double once the Type 00 launches next year, so comparing year-over-year sales will prove fruitless. So long as Jaguar survives to see another day, I’ll be happy.
Top photo: Jaguar/Newspress
He’s an insufferable ass, but that doesn’t mean he’s wrong.
(Dictated and sent in my absence.)