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Jaguar brings a pair of Designer Editions to go with the announcement at AutoRAI

Filed under: Sedan, Europe, Jaguar, Luxury

Jaguar XF Designer Edition

Jaguar XF Designer Edition – Click above for high-res images

There are major auto shows, and there are relatively minor ones. Holland’s AutoRAI may fall more into the latter category, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have its fare share of new debuts. And a big part of those are reportedly coming from Jaguar.

Say what you will about the wisdom of decisions taken in Europe’s notoriously mind-altering playground, but as we already reported, Jaguar has apparently chosen the Amsterdam expo as the location to elaborate on the future of its X-Type successor. But the company’s English manners prevent it from turning up empty-handed with only some promises of things to come, so it’s created a special series specifically for the Dutch market.

Called the Designer Edition, it’s available on either the XF or the XJ, powered by the 3.0-liter V6 engine, and decked out in Stratus Grey London paint – looks decidedly greenish to us – with tan leather interior and piano black lacquer trim. The XF Designer Edition is further distinguished by bi-xenon headlights, 19-inch wheels in grey or black, heater leather steering wheels and sports seats and heated windshield. The XJ Designer Edition, meanwhile, packs a infotainment system with Bowers & Wilkins audio, high-def dual-view touchscreen and TV tuner plus a leather headliner.

Only 20 units of each are slated for production, the former coming in at €77,790 ($110,000 by current rates), the latter at €121,290 ($171,000). Just don’t forget where you parked yours.

Gallery: Jaguar XF & XJ Designer Editions

[Sources: TopSpeed, autoblog.nl]

Jaguar brings a pair of Designer Editions to go with the announcement at AutoRAI originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chris Bangle hassles Saab designer Jason Castriota over PhoeniX concept

Filed under: Coupe, Geneva Motor Show, Etc., Videos, Saab, Design/Style

chris bangle and jason castriota

Chris Bangle and Jason Castriota discuss Saab PhoeniX – Click above to watch video after the jump

In the left corner, from Wausau, Wisconsin, we have Christopher “Flames are Surfacing” Bangle. In the right, from the mean streets of Greenwich, Connecticut, stands Jason “Let Me Out of My Birdcage” Castriota. Alright, gentleman… we know you are both highly accomplished automotive designers, but we want to keep this thing clean. Gloves up, and come out swinging!

The controversial former BMW head and new Saab stylist were caught chatting about the Swedish automaker’s new PhoeniX Concept on the Geneva Motor Show floor by CarDesignNews. Known for being an instigator, Bangle questions Castriota about what makes the swoopy coupe a Saab. The ensuing “conversation” is filled with awkward fake-smiles and restraint. Click past the jump to see the footage along with a separate video walkaround of the concept by Castriota himself.

Gallery: Saab PhoeniX Concept: Geneva 2011

Saab PhoeniX Concept

[Sources: CarDesignNews via Jalopnik, Saabs United]

Continue reading Video: Chris Bangle hassles Saab designer Jason Castriota over PhoeniX concept

Video: Chris Bangle hassles Saab designer Jason Castriota over PhoeniX concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swedish designer reinvents the Jaguar E-Type

Filed under: Concept Cars, Jaguar, Design/Style

growler e 2011 concept

Growler E 2011 Concept by Bo Zolland – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Jaguar E-Type turns 50 this year, and we continue to pine for its classic lines to this day. Bo Zolland, a car designer from Sweden, is clearly also a fan of the iconic E-Type shape. Unlike most of us, though, he has the tools and skill to generate a vision of what the E-Type might look like were it to come back to life in the 21st century.

Zolland calls his rendered Jaguar homage the Growler E 2011 Concept, and it clearly takes design cues from the original version. We also spy some 240Z and Chevrolet Corvette, though you could just as easily say those cars learned their lines from the E-Type.

Fittingly, the Growler would be built atop the guts of a Jaguar XKR, which would also donate its 5.0-liter V8 engine (tuned to produce 600 horsepower). Check out Bo Zolland’s Growler E 2011 Concept in the gallery below. Sound off with your thoughts on his design in the comments.

Gallery: Growler E 2011 Concept

Growler E 2011 Concept

[Source: Caradisiac.com]

Swedish designer reinvents the Jaguar E-Type originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford GT designer Pardo selling racy new artwork this week

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Celebrities, Design/Style

Camilo Pardo painting 'her targets'

Camilo Pardo creates his limited-edition “Her Targets” – Click above for high-res image gallery

Camilo Pardo is a name many of you will recognize. He’s the man responsible for bringing the Ford GT40 back to life in its modern Ford GT form. Besides penning beautiful automobiles, Pardo also works in other art mediums. The designer has created a very limited-edition run of prints, and the hand-signed work is available at a surprisingly affordable price. Each of the 45 prints is up on 1xRUN.com, a site dedicated to providing limited-edition artwork at low prices. The cost for each print is $80 – Pardo’s other work often commands over a thousand dollars, so this is something of a bargain.

If you’re interested, you might want to act quickly because all 45 prints ought to move quickly at that price. You can see Pardo’s racy take on Chip Ganassi Target Racing’s team racing suit in our gallery below or head straight to 1xRUN to grab an example for yourself.

Gallery: Camilo Pardo creates limited-edition Her Targets artwork

Camilo Pardo creates limited-edition Her Targets artwork

[Source: 1xRUN]

Ford GT designer Pardo selling racy new artwork this week originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc., Buick, Dodge, Lincoln, Nissan

Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Episode #207 of the Autoblog Podcast is staffed by Chris Shunk, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Chris Paukert. We hit the Autoblog Garage first and then salivate at the possibility of a non-hybrid Honda CR-Z. The defection of Max Wolff to Lincoln from Cadillac is next, and we ponder what that might mean before turning our attention to the return of the Dodge Viper as a 2013 model. We finish with your questions at the end for an hour and thirty-two minutes total. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper

In the Autoblog Garage:

2011 Buick Regal
2012 Dodge Durango Citadel
2011 Nissan Versa

News Topics:

Non-Hybrid Honda CR-Z
Max Wolff tapped to reinvigorate Lincoln styling
Viper is coming back

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman, Chris Paukert
Runtime: 1:32:44

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Autoblog Podcast #207: Fun CR-Z, Lincoln’s new designer, the return of the Dodge Viper originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi Sport Quattro designer calls his iconic creation “ugly”

Filed under: Classics, Performance, Hatchback, Audi, Design/Style

Audi SWB Sport Quattro

Audi SWB Sport Quattro – Click above for high-res image gallery

Audiphiles, prepare to have your lederhosen wrinkled. While speaking with Autocar, Peter Birtwhistle went and called the legendary SWB Sport Quattro “bloody ugly.” While Birtwhistle is currently the chief designer at Mazda Europe, he’s particularly well-suited to comment on the lines of the boxy Audi. After all, he designed the thing. According to the designer, the biggest problem facing the car is that it rides on the Audi 80 platform, and massaging the Sport Quattro design over those cumbersome bones required some sacrifices. Still, when taken a grain of salt borrowed from the time period, the car is as good-looking as it gets.

Of course, our opinion could be slightly tainted by the fact that Audi only minted a mere 200 of the cars as homologation specials. Anything built to justify a race car nets an automatic win in our book, and the SWB Sport Quattro is no different.

Gallery: Audi Quattro’s 30th Anniversary

[Source: Autocar]

Audi Sport Quattro designer calls his iconic creation “ugly” originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Documentary provides a peek into the mind of controversial designer Chris Bangle

Filed under: Videos, BMW, Design/Style

Chris Bangle

Inframe interviews Chris Bangle – Click above to watch video after the jump

If you’ve ever wondered how former BMW design guru Chris Bangle’s mind works, you’re in luck. Inframe has rolled out a special documentary on the man behind some of the more controversial design elements in the BMW stable, and the site has even been so kind as to roll out a teaser video to give us an idea of what to expect from its documentary on Bangle.

Over the course of the quick five-minute clip, the designer touches on everything from his time with General Motors to the inner workings of the separate companies under the BMW banner when he arrived at the German manufacturer at age 35. Bangle also shares what he has tucked away in his own personal garage at the moment, including one very special classic. We won’t spoil it for you. Hit the jump to see the video for yourself. Thanks for the tip, Chris A!

[Source: BMW Blog]

Continue reading Video: Documentary provides a peek into the mind of controversial designer Chris Bangle

Video: Documentary provides a peek into the mind of controversial designer Chris Bangle originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog speaks with Nissan 370Z designer Randy Rodriguez at 23rd annual Z Car Convention

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Nissan, Design/Style

Randy Rodriguez, designer of the Nissan 370Z – Click above to read the interview

It’s a rare thing to see a car penned by someone who’s a die-hard fan. More often than not, designers are assigned to vehicles they have little or no emotional attachment to, and as such, the car buying public is regularly supplied with a slurry of bland appliances that do little to acknowledge a car’s model history and next to nothing to advance the vehicle aesthetically.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with the Nissan 370Z. Randy Rodriguez, the guy behind the original design of the 370Z, had owned 10 different Z cars before he sat down to sketch out the latest iteration of Nissan’s low-buck sports machine. Autoblog had the chance to catch up with Rodriguez at the Z’s 40th birthday bash last weekend in Franklin, TN. Hit the jump to read a few excerpts from the conversation, including talk about alternatively powered future Zs and how he drew inspiration for the car’s look from the Discovery Channel.

Gallery: 23rd Annual Z Car Convention

Continue reading Autoblog speaks with Nissan 370Z designer Randy Rodriguez at 23rd annual Z Car Convention

Autoblog speaks with Nissan 370Z designer Randy Rodriguez at 23rd annual Z Car Convention originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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