Aside from a few shining beacons, the current state of electric performance cars is rather depressing if you’re into lightweight, fun little machines. Well, here’s an expensive potential anecdote. Famed Jaguar designer Ian Callum has his own company now, and is looking to produce a properly small, properly light electric off-roader called the Callum Skye. Consider our eyebrows raised.
If you don’t know who Ian Callum is, don’t worry. He oversaw design of some of the most beautiful cars of the past twenty years, primarily for Jaguar. We’re talking about the bewitching F-Type, the radically modern XF, the beguiling XK, and the astonishing Aston Martin Vanquish of the early aughts. These are cars so beautiful, Callum was appointed Commander of the British Empire for his work in car design.
![Vidframe Min Top](https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/vidframe_min_top1.png)
![Vidframe Min Bottom](https://images-stag.jazelc.com/uploads/theautopian-m2en/vidframe_min_bottom1.png)
At the moment, the Callum Skye is just a rendering, so it has a little bit of vaporware about it. However, we’ll just have to see what happens. After all, if Faraday Future can deliver cars, who knows anymore? Regardless, British car magazine Autocar reports that “the first prototype of [the Skye] is expected to be running in the spring,” so we’ll just have to jot it down in the calendar and see what happens. If Callum and Co. pull it off, we could be looking at one seriously tantalizing EV, especially from an engineering standpoint.
So what makes the proposed bones of the Callum Skye so interesting? Its purported 42 kWh battery pack isn’t massive, its claimed four-second zero-to-62 mph time isn’t wildly fast, and an alleged range of 170 miles isn’t exactly far. Well, it all comes down to claimed weight. As it stands, the vast majority of EVs have been on the pies. Curb weights measured in pounds beginning with a four or five are the new normal. This thing? Its curb weight might begin with a two.
Annoyingly, the Callum Skye only has a targeted dry weight for now, which is a bit stupid because you don’t measure your own weight after draining all the blood out of your body. However, said targeted dry weight is quoted at a mere 2,535 pounds, and since electric vehicles don’t contain nearly as much fluid as a combustion-powered car, expect that figure to rise just slightly for curb weight. This should be a properly light EV if Callum pulls it off, and lightness is often the key to fun.
Of course, being an Ian Callum design, the Callum Skye looks fantastic. It’s like Mad Max graduated from ArtCenter and immediately bought a Toyota Sera. We’re talking an elegant canopy, transparent door inserts, wide fenders, and the kamm-iest of kammtails. There’s a delicate muscularity to this shape that feels absolutely cutting-edge. Perhaps that’s what it needs to sell at the purported price.
Ah yep, here’s the theoretical rub: Autocar reports the Callum Skye will cost around £100,000. That’s Porsche 911 money, Chevrolet Corvette money, Lexus LC 500 money. You can buy an insane amount of car for that sort of money, so why hang about for one that’s theoretical at the moment? Well, the sort of person who’d buy one of these, if it reaches limited production, probably already has a few supercars. To them, a vehicle like this is an experience, something completely and totally different. I guess we’ll just have to wait until Spring to see what materializes.
(Photo credits: Callum Design)
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The EV off-road vehicle: for when you care about the environment but want to crush it under your wheels at the same time.
Looks like a Pontiac Stinger. Which isn’t a bad thing.
A 50kWh Model 3 battery weighs a little over 1000lb. A 42kWh battery should be north of 900lb.
Mr. Callum, good luck making a legal offroader that weighs 1600lb. That’s like a 1946 jeep.
Carbon Fiber.
If I had to guess, carbon fiber, aluminum, relatively small size, and lots of money will conspire to create something that is only moderately higher weight than his goal.
Doing some eyeball math. About 6.5 of those wheels make the length of the vehicle So 130″ if those wheels are 20″. If they’re 18’s? Only 117″. The OG Mini Cooper was 120″ long.
No mention of the DB7, the single greatest shift in Aston Martin there has ever been
Big Ian Callum fan here. He nails his proportions just about every time. Wouldn’t be able to afford this, but obviously I like it in concept.
Someone should tell Callum they already built an electric version of a Meyers Manx.
Sadly, it’s also too expensive. I’m dying for someone to bring an AFFORDABLE bare-bones, light-weight, compact, street-legal, EV commuter to market that can also handle light-duty off-road trips and chores.
https://microlino-car.com/en/microlino?_gl=1*1s3jks5*_up*MQ..*_ga*NDI4OTEyMzAyLjE3MDA4NzA2NTI.*_ga_K90DJXD508*MTcwMDg3MDY1MS4xLjEuMTcwMDg3MDczNi4wLjAuMA..
Hey, nice Terry Pratchett reference on the header image, thanks!
It doesn’t look wicked, it looks like what the kid who copies the homework does, in this case, Mr. Callum re-heated the 1989 Pontiac Stinger Concept from Adrian’s piece on the Aztek.
Can’t wait to see it enter production as a 7-steater plug-in hybrid SUV with odd proportions and a name stolen from a legendary car.
I kinda wish a great car designer like Callum, when given free reigns, would create something more interesting, challenging and forward thinking. This looks nice, but who is it actually for and what will it be used for? Is this simply the car equivalent of a Pinarello Dogma? Yet another expensive high-end toy designed for middle-age men with too much money?
To me it’s a lot like what the Isuzu VehiCross might look like if it had remained in production.
Definitely trying to sell something to stellantis.
I’d love to see an electric Ariel Nomad.