September 2001 - Jaguar Press Release
Jaguar
R-Coupe Concept Debuts at Frankfurt and signals New Design Philosophy.
Jaguar takes a leap into the future with the public
debut of a new concept car at the IAA (Frankfurt Motor Show) on
September 11, 2001. Conceived to demonstrate how the companys
design philosophy may develop in coming years, the Jaguar R-Coupe
is a prestigious and sensuous four-seater coupe that reinterprets
Jaguars core design values in a fresh and forward-thinking
way.
We challenged our designers to show how
the Jaguar look could advance in the years ahead, to
reflect the companys transformation from niche manufacturer
to major player in the premium car sector, says Jonathan Browning,
Jaguars managing director. This represents a long-term
vision though, rather than anything that we will see tomorrow. The
R-Coupe provides an insight into Jaguar's long term future design
philosophy, reaffirming our commitment to create cars that stir
people's emotions.
Classic and contemporary inspiration
The proportions and stance of classic Jaguars
from the 1950s and 1960s inspired the powerful look of the R-Coupe,
where strong, geometric forms underpin the cars flowing lines.
Exterior detail is restrained but picks up characteristic Jaguar
design cues, such as the front grille. The cars warm and rich
interior puts a contemporary twist on the use of wood and leather,
to create a luxurious environment influenced by the latest trends
in furniture and interior design. Wood veneer sweeps right round
the cabin, leather covers the floor as well as the seats, and many
jewel-like details are silver-plated.
With the R-Coupe we have the ability both
to explore and to display our future design philosophy for Jaguar,
says Ian Callum, Jaguars design director. Concept cars
like this provide an incomparable opportunity for us to try out
new ideas and to experience them in a full-size, three-dimensional
format. Were looking forward to learning a great deal from
the reactions of the public too.
The R-Coupe is not intended for production, but
it embodies themes and ideas that may find their way into future
Jaguars. The concept is not based on any current or proposed Jaguar
chassis, though it is constructed around a realistic four-seater
package and a V8 powertrain. Further examples of advanced technology
incorporated into the cars design include F1-style paddle
shift gear-changing, headlight beams that follow steering
direction, electronic door releases and a futuristic, voice-controlled
telematics system.
First Vehicle from Jaguars Advanced Design Team
The R-Coupe is the first complete vehicle developed
since Ian Callum was appointed as Jaguars new Design Director
in 1999. One of his earliest moves was to introduce a 15-strong
Advanced Design studio, headed by Julian Thomson, which has taken
the lead role in bringing the R-Coupe to life, working with Callum
to develop Jaguars new design philosophy and design language.
A prestige, four-seater performance coupe was
chosen to embody the new design thinking because such a model does
not figure in Jaguars future vehicle plans. So the R-Coupe
can be shown in public without revealing hints of any specific vehicles
in the pipeline. Jaguar is currently undergoing a product-led transformation
that is seeing its line-up grow from two models in 1998 to four
today, and to five with the launch of the F-TYPE in around three
years time.
The Advanced Design team originally produced six
exterior proposals for the R-Coupe, as scale models. A design from
Julian Thomson was selected as the basis for the finished vehicle,
though incorporating details from the other proposals. Lead designer
on developing the exterior was Matthew Beaven. The interior design
was chosen from a series of sketch proposals, with the one selected
being by Mark Phillips, who became lead interior designer for the
project.
The design of the Jaguar R-Coupe was finalised
early in 2001, and the team held regular reviews throughout the
development process with Ian Callum.
Exterior Features
- Two-door coupe, reflecting Jaguars new
design philosophy
- 'Pewter exterior paintwork
- Solid silver badges and silver-plated details,
including grille surround, side glass trim and engraved trunk
lid trim
- Unique design, 10-spoke alloy wheels (285/30/R21)
- Ultra low profile Continental tyres, with unique
Jaguar Cat Claw tread pattern
- Ventilated and cross-drilled brake discs all
round, in Jaguar Cat Claw design
- Aluminium monobloc four-piston callipers
- Adaptive front lighting system
- Four pencil-beam xenon headlights
- Outboard main beams with two-axis pivoting
to follow steering direction
- Individual, brushed aluminium precision housings
- LED front fog lights integrated into lower
front intake blades
- LED front indicators, with neutral appearance
when not in operation
- Rear lamp clusters, with "cats ear"
rear wing lens design
- LED and halogen progressive brake light system
- Individual, brushed aluminium precision housings
- Quadruple tail pipes in machined aluminium
- Dual silver-plated fuel filler caps, each with
twin hatch doors
- Electronic door release system
- Dimensions (mm): Length 4925, Width
- 1890, Height - 1347, Wheel base - 2909
Interior Features
- Luxury, four-seat interior with full-length
centre console
- Jewel-like instruments and switches, soft touch
controls and silver-plated trim
- Ebony macassar wood veneer wrapped
around the cabin
- Blonde Connolly leather
on unique design seats and door trims
- Deep brown (conker) saddle leather
on floor, dashboard and upper surface of centre console
- Aluminium floor insets
- Three-spoke leather and anodised aluminium
sports steering wheel
- Column-mounted F1-style gear change, with silver-plated
paddles
- Chronograph-inspired instruments in individual,
silver-plated binnacles
- Black dials and silver graphics, with amber
illumination
- Control management centre with
interactive LCD screen for access to ICE controls, climate control,
telephone, navigation, TV, e-mail and internet
- Voice activation to complement the LCD screen
- Full-width dashboard air vent
- Twin switch packs in the centre console, with
silver-plated detail
- Integrated flask and cigar lighter
- Switch design inspired by contemporary jewellery
- Door and rear quarter stowage units, inspired
by luxury luggage and finished in leather and silver-plate
- Three-quarter width dashboard glove box
- Ambient footwell lighting

This
section currently maintained by Pascal Gademer,
questions, comments, submissions and suggestions, click here : 
|