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New Audi design chief Massimo Frascella shaped cars for Jaguar Land Rover

At the Audi brand, style and design have long been a high priority; think the super sleek and sexy A7 sedan, the Bauhaus-inspired TT coupe, the single-frame grille that instantly identified the marque with its down-the-road graphics. So when the Bavarians install a new head of design, that’s also worth a look. Massimo Frascella is that person, a 52-year-old Italian designer who this summer will succeed Marc Lichte. Lichte ran Audi design since 2014 and will take up a new role within the Volkswagen Group. Frascella, a student at the Istituto d`Arte Applicata & Design in Turin, ignited his career at Stile Bertone, and his resume after that evolves impressively. He subsequently held positions at Ford Motor Company and Kia, and since 2011, Frascella has held senior positions at Jaguar Land Rover. He was responsible for the creation of several models: Discovery Vision Concept (2014), Discovery Sport (2014), Discovery (2016), Velar (2017), Evoque (2019) and Defender. In 2019 he became creative director of Land Rover and in 2020 design director. He was also instrumental in the development of the range of new electric Jaguars that are in the works. “Joining Audi is a very special moment for me,” Frascella said. “I am deeply honored to assume the role of chief creative officer and to guide such a talented team in shaping the future of the brand to new heights of innovation and distinction. I believe in the emotional power of design to inspire, connect, and drive change, and I am here to nurture and promote creativity as the beating heart of our brand.” Looking back a couple of decades, it was one of FrascellaÂ’s predecessors who helped to cement AudiÂ’s reputation in automobile design: Walter de Silva. De Silva was appointed head of Audi design in 2002. From 2007 to 2015, he supervised the design strategy for the entire Volkswagen group, including the TT, the Scirocco, the Passat and the Golf. Not a bad list of achievements, but in a interview several years ago, de Silva said that he considered the 2007 Audi A5 coupe the pinnacle of his automotive design art, citing its “sex appeal, the shape of the lights, the architecture.” Design/Style Audi Jaguar Land Rover Volkswagen Automotive History

1956 Jaguar D-Type could top $5M at Arizona auction

The Jaguar D-Type is an essential element of the marque's history, one of its most successful racing cars, and one of its most beautiful creations. Chassis number XKD 604, pictured here, was the first of six long-nose Jaguar D-Types made for the factory team in 1956. They were, however, far from ubiquitous, with only 53 made for private customers, and another 18 campaigned by the factory racing team. More advanced than the examples that preceded it, this one was equipped with a de Dion rear suspension and fuel injection. It didn't have much of a distinguished racing career to speak of, passing from the factory to the Ecurie Ecosse team in Scotland which kept it in storage for years. After the team's closing, it passed through the hands of two British owners, undergoing a full restoration at the hands of the latter, before trading between two US owners. Although precise pre-sale estimates are available by request to interested parties, RM confirmed to Autoblog that this example "is expected to fetch more than $5 million when it crosses the auction podium in January." According to Sports Car Market, last year the same auction house sold a customer D-Type in Paris for nearly that much. However at its London auction in 2013, another works example failed to sell despite a high bid of over $6.2 million. If this one takes in more than that, it'll set a record for the type. If classic Jaguars aren't your thing, RM also has lined up an enviable roster of Ferraris. Included among them is a yellow '71 Daytona (estimated to fetch over $700k), a silver '91 Testarossa (~$250k), a rare yellow '95 F512 M (~$450k), and a pristine 2011 599 SA Aperta (~$1.3m). Porsche fans will want to check out the '76 911 Turbo (~$250k) and the soft-window '69 911 S Targa (~$225k). With the auction not set to take place until January 28 at the Arizona Biltmore, you can bet there'll be a good number of additional lots consigned between now and then.

ECD Auto Design Jaguar E-Type Electric First Drive: EV restomods have a bright future

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — If youÂ’ve ever dipped a toe into the restomod world before, thereÂ’s a good chance youÂ’ve heard of the Florida-based company ECD. Originally known as East Coast Defender for the companyÂ’s earliest efforts restomodding Land Rover Defenders, itÂ’s now just “ECD Auto Design.” ThatÂ’s because thereÂ’s a whole lot more than just Defenders being cranked out of the workshop these days. And while weÂ’ve already driven its Land Rover offerings in the Defender and Range Rover Classic, today itÂ’s time to take the companyÂ’s latest creation for a spin: the ECD Jaguar E-Type. ECD announced its foray into the E-Type world about a year and a half ago, and by the time we showed up, itÂ’d already produced seven restored and/or heavily modified E-Types. Before we get too far into first impressions, though, some history. The E-Type, formally known as the XK-E here in the states, was produced between 1961 and 1974. It was a bombshell of a sports car when new, touting impressive performance for a solid price from both its inline-six and V12 engines. Jaguar went through three main iterations of the XK-E before wrapping up sales here: Series I, Series II and Series III. And while ECD has restored a Series I, itÂ’s focusing on the more widely available (and more affordable) Series II cars for this project. The E-Type was available as a coupe or convertible, and while ECD is allowing you to stick with either of the original powertrains for restoration builds, itÂ’s also offering some rather tempting swaps. If thereÂ’s something you should know about ECD, itÂ’s that this company loves a good American V8. YouÂ’ll find an LS- or LT-based General Motors V8 in most of its Defender builds, and thatÂ’s exactly what ECD is offering in the E-Type, too. GMÂ’s 450-horsepower LT1 can be plopped under the long hood of the E-Type should you want to turn it into a tire-destroying muscle machine. On the other end of the spectrum is an electric conversion option, which is the E-Type variant we got to drive. Before you scream “sacrilege!” we wonÂ’t bury the lede on this one: An all-electric E-Type is actually a hoot to drive. Admittedly, what makes it fun to drive is also what makes other modern-day sports cars fun to drive. ItÂ’s lightweight at just 2,940 pounds (thatÂ’s 60 pounds less than the V8-powered version), features a 51/49 weight balance, has a 305-horsepower motor doling out power solely to the rear wheels Â… and you can take the roof off!