"Forgettable from nearly every angle": P1 designer Frank Stephenson on the Jaguar Type 00

Frank Stephenson is a car designer with more hits than the Beatles, including the Escort RS Cossie, first BMW Mini, Maser MC12, numerous Ferraris and the McLaren P1. These days he runs his own consultancy – Frank Stephenson Design. Here he shares his views on a little known concept called the 'Type 00'...

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. 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.

Worse still, the whole vehicle feels unautomotive. It doesn’t read as a car in the traditional sense – more like a digital model or a design student’s first year project. It lacks refinement, intent and emotion. There’s a ‘Cybertruck effect’ at play: the pursuit of boldness without enough attention to proportion, purpose or execution.

Linear array seems to serve no real functional or aesthetic purpose. Parallel lines kills what could've been a dynamic feature. Seemingly unnecessary feature lines visible throughout. 

Closed rear windshield looks like a rushed patch-up of an inconvenience (but why?) Awkward rear grille looks tacked on and unresolved.

Verdict: NOT